Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have reportedly entered the race to sign PSV Eindhoven’s explosive winger Johan Bakayoko ahead of the September 1 transfer deadline.
According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon (via his Patreon), Tottenham and Newcastle United are hot on the tails of PSV Eindhoven as they look to secure the signature of their 20-year-old tricky winger Johan Bakayoko before the summer transfer window slams shut. And they are now making “last minute checks” before potentially launching a formal approach.
It is suggested that both Newcastle and Tottenham sent scouts to watch Bakayoko in the flesh against Rangers at Ibrox earlier this week. Having played out an entertaining 2-2 draw, PSV will face the Scottish giants again for the second leg of their Champions League play-off encounter next Wednesday, with Spurs and Newcastle scouts expected to be in attendance once again.
The Eredivisie outfit are reluctant to lose Bakayoko before Wednesday’s decider. But a loss could force them to cash in on their prized asset amid mounting Premier League interest.
The 20-year-old, who is valued in excess of £30 million by PSV, enjoyed a breakout season for PSV last year in which he scored nine goals and provided six assists in 39 appearances across all competitions, as well as earning four international caps for Belgium.
Since exploding onto the scene, the exciting winger has been subject of growing interest from several Premier League clubs this summer, including teams such as newly-promoted Burnley, Everton and Liverpool, with the Clarets even seeing a club-record £17 million proposal swiftly rejected by the Dutch outfit.
He has also garnered interest from Paris Saint-Germain. Now, both Tottenham and Newcastle United are looking to sign the PSV Eindhoven star ahead of the summer transfer window deadline.
Spurs, for one, are well stacked in wide areas, having already signed a winger in Manor Solomon on a free transfer, as well as converting Dejan Kulusevski’s loan move from Juventus into a permanent one. Bakayoko is a young player with a high upside and is only expected to improve as he gains more experience, so he could prove to be an excellent long-term investment for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
As for Newcastle, they have an abundance of talent down the left wing, with Joelinton, Harvey Barnes, Elliot Anderson, and Anthony Gordon all capable of manning that flank. The right side of the attack, though, could still be bolstered, with one-dimensional Miguel Almiron and fringe star Jacob Murphy the only alternatives at Eddie Howe’s disposal.
Newcastle United have also lost a bit of explosiveness and creativity from their attack following the departure of Allan Saint-Maximin earlier this summer. An electric left-footed winger, he loves cutting inside can also play short passes for a quick link-up play and use bursts of pace to leave the defenders chasing shadows.
So Bakayoko could be the solution and would be a great fit in the young core Eddie Howe is assembling at St. James’ Park. With Tottenham and Newcastle United now in the mix, we could potentially see a bidding war break out in the final few days of the transfer window.
