Newcastle have been offered the chance to sign Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, according to Ben Jacobs on the NUFC Matters YouTube channel.
Since they got new owners in October, the Magpies have spent over £90m on Chris Wood, Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier, and Dan Burn.
It has worked. Only Liverpool and Manchester City picked up more points from January as the Tyneside club jumped from 18th to 11th.
This has also marked out the northeast side as a team to sell to, with other clubs looking to exploit the newfound wealth available to Eddie Howe.
According to Jacobs, one such player is the French winger.
“That’s another name on Newcastle’s radar and fans should sort of understand that when I say radar, the way the window works is you don’t just draw up a shortlist of players you want, you have backups, and you have those that are offered to you.
“Moussa Diaby falls into the category of a player that has been offered to them by Bayer Leverkusen, but the quoted price is sort of £37-38m, up to some say £41-42m and that’s a pretty hefty price to pay.”
Our Thoughts on Jacobs’ Diaby Claims
The 22-year-old has been in sparkling form in the Bundesliga this season. Only seven players have scored more than France international’s 13 goals, and only three can better his 12 assists.
This has been his best season in terms of output in Germany, and it would make the £54m-rated ace the top goalscorer and the top provider at Newcastle.
The PSG Academy graduate has the third-highest WhoScored rating in his team, and is in Leverkusen’s top three for shots, key passes, and dribbles per game.
His performances this season have rewarded his club’s faith in him when they signed him. At the time, sporting director Simon Rolfes praised the winger and was confident in his potential.
“Moussa is an extremely quick, technically gifted attacker whose qualities are perfectly suited to our playing style.
“He’s one of France’s most talented players and he’s got the ideal conditions here in Leverkusen to develop into an absolutely top-class player.”
With the Paris-born attacker in the top 10% across Europe’s top five leagues in position for both non-penalty goals and assists, you can definitely argue that he is now a top-class player.
With the £48k-per-week ace able to play on both flanks, Diaby would be an amazing signing for Newcastle.
AND in other news, “I’ve been told…” – Journo claims Newcastle have sights set on “adaptable” £19.8m-rated gem…