Newcastle United are prepared to make a bumper offer to sign Rennes forward Gaetan Laborde in January.
According to an exclusive report from Homme Du Match, Gaetan Laborde has emerged as one of the most in-demand forwards in the French market recently. He is courted by a host of clubs across Europe, including Premier League duo Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Newcastle, in particular, are determined to prise Laborde away from Rennes in January and are prepared to pay double the amount that his parent club paid to sign him from Montpellier in the summer. Rennes, though, have no intention of selling their star player unless they receive an offer that is too good to refuse.
A product of the Bordeaux youth academy, Laborde has become a star player in Ligue 1 since his successful stint at Montpellier. The forward had notably scored 39 goals while providing 20 assists in 11 competitive matches for La Paillade. Twenty-five of those goal involvements came in the Ligue 1 last term, with the attacker helping his team finish in the top eight.
His wonderful season saw him earn a €15 million move to Rennes in the summer. It was a smart piece of business from Les Rouge et Noir, who had also roped in talented players like Lovro Majer, Loic Bade and Baptiste Santamaria in the same window. Majer has already emerged as a target for Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United after making an early impression in the French league.
The same applies for Laborde, who has hit the ground running with six goals and two assists in just 12 league matches. His contributions in front of goal have helped Rennes emerge as one of the strongest teams in the division, with the club only trailing behind PSG and Marseille in the league table.
The forward’s performances have not gone unnoticed, with Newcastle United prepared to secure his services in the January transfer window. It appears the Magpies have identified the Rennes attacker as the ideal man to spearhead the club’s offensive unit that has netted only 16 goals this term.
Eddie Howe, therefore, is keen on signing Laborde, whose goalscoring prowess could help the club in their quest to stave off relegation during the second half of the campaign.
However, NUFC’s likely bid in the range of €30 million might not be enough to convince Rennes, who had signed Laborde only a few months ago. So it remains to be seen whether the new bosses agree to sanction an improved offer in an attempt to sign the highly-rated Frenchman next month.
