Newcastle United are reportedly preparing an official bid to sign Stade Rennes’ 20-year-old attacking sensation Kamaldeen Sulemana.
According to French outlet L’Equipe, Newcastle United are firming up their interest in Rennes winger Kamaldeen Sulemana as the search for a new attacking recruit continues.
After being quoted inflated price tags for local talents such as Anthony Gordon, Jack Harrison, and James Maddison, Newcastle United will have to act smartly and explore as many avenues in the transfer market as possible.
It seems as though their hunt for attacking reinforcements is leading them back to the familiar fishing grounds of Ligue 1, after having secured the services of Sven Botman and Bruno Guimaraes in excellent value-for-money deals. Now, Newcastle United are contemplating making a move for Rennes starlet Sulemana, who certainly looks like a star of the future.
The 20-year-old Ghana international joined the Ligue 1 outfit for £17 million last summer from Danish club Nordsjaelland, where he made 43 appearances and scored 14 goals. At Rennes, the young attacker enjoyed a strong start to his first season in Ligue 1, scoring four goals and registering two assists in just 11 league starts.
The skilful Ghanaian winger emerged as the Under-21 player with the most successful dribbles per 90 in Europe’s top five leagues last term. And while the blistering start to his debut campaign at Rennes was curtailed early by a back injury, the 20-year-old is regarded as one of the hottest attacking prospects playing in Europe, with Newcastle preparing to send an official bid to prise Sulemana away from the French outfit.
Given the inconsistency of Miguel Almiron, Ryan Fraser, and Jacob Murphy, and, to a lesser extent, Allan Saint-Maximin, who has not scored a competitive goal since January 2022, Newcastle United do require another wide option to balance their lopsided attack.
Sulemana might be considered a cheaper alternative to Jack Harrison and Timo Werner since they would not be buying directly from a Premier League rival. While the 20-year-old is still very much in his tender years, he looks like a top attacking player with tremendous flair, and Dan Ashworth may have identified another sparkling gem.
Sulemana’s underlying stats are impressive, to say the least, as he excelled both offensively and defensively, ranking in the 99th percentile for dribbles completed, 96th for tackles, and 87th for progressive carries per 90 amongst his positional peers in the top five leagues. At just 20, Kamaldeen looks like the definition of a high-ceiling talent.
That said, the young attacker still has four years remaining on his existing deal with Rennes, who will be hoping to make a good profit if they are to sell their prized asset. It was previously reported that the Ligue 1 outfit are looking in the £30 million ball-park for the winger. Whether Newcastle will want to spend that much for a relatively inexperienced talent remains to be seen.
