Newcastle United could reportedly return with their interest in £60 million-rated Bayer Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby during the upcoming January transfer window.
According to GIVEMESPORT journalist Dean Jones, Newcastle United are prepared to re-enter the market for Bayer Leverkusen starlet Moussa Diaby as Eddie Howe looks to strengthen his attacking options even further.
Diaby was heavily linked to Newcastle during the summer. But, as it turned out, the move never materialized. Instead, the Frenchman decided to stay put at Leverkusen, while the Magpies signed striker Alexander Isak in a club-record deal from Real Sociedad.
The 23-year-old was hesitant about moving overseas in a World Cup year, knowing the instability involved and the tough competition for places at the international level, but he was ultimately left out of France’s World Cup squad after a slow start to the current season. Diaby was also said to be eager to play in the Champions League back then, something Newcastle couldn’t offer.
Despite Miguel Almiron’s red-hot goalscoring start to the ongoing season, the Magpies look set to be in the market for a winger yet again in January, with the name of Leandro Trossard being consistently linked with a move to St James’ Park.
The Belgian would be a fantastic addition and is currently having an excellent season in the Premier League. But if the Toon owners decide to push the boat out, with reports coming out that they have set aside a substantial amount to splash out on a box office signing, they might just have a chance to sign the player they really wanted before the season kicked off.
With the Toon Army sitting third in the Premier League table and having only lost once this season, attention is turning toward the winter window and how the club’s plans may be altered now that they have kept their form up and are well and truly in the conversation for Champions League berths.
Newcastle United’s splendid start to the season may act as a leverage point for Eddie Howe to demand additional funds from the club’s owners in January to enable the Magpies to remain pacesetters in the hunt for top-four football.
While the likes of Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron, Jacob Murphy, Chris Wood, Alexander Isak, and Allan Saint-Maximin provide Howe with good enough depth, the Magpies could use some top-class attacking talent ahead of the second half of the season to continue competing with the world-class depth of other top-four rivals.
Diaby would make an ideal choice. Just 23, the France international has a long career ahead of him, and St James’ Park could be the best place to showcase his talent. The Toon fans love a player who can get them on the edge of their seats, and Diaby is just that but with an excellent end product and work rate on top of it.
He was on fire last season in the Bundesliga, scoring 13 goals and providing another 12 in 32 league games to help his side finish third in the table.
Despite not having the best of starts this season, he has bagged six goals and three assists from 15 German top-flight outings, playing a big role in Xabi Alonso’s side’s mid-season revival. Contracted at BayArena until 2025, it will cost the Magpies an arm and a leg to prise him away from Leverkusen.
