Moussa Diaby still top Newcastle United target and club pushing for deal – Report | OneFootball

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The Mag

·6 July 2022

Moussa Diaby still top Newcastle United target and club pushing for deal – Report

Article image:Moussa Diaby still top Newcastle United target and club pushing for deal – Report

Moussa Diaby continues to be the top target for Newcastle United.

The Bayer Leverkusen star has been scouted by Newcastle for some time and the club continue to believe that he would be a stellar addition to Eddie Howe’s team.


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The thought of Moussa Diaby in a front three with Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin, backed up by the likes of Joelinton and Bruno G behind them in midfield, certainly sounds good to me.

Sources close to the deal have now told The Telegraph that whilst there is a current impasse with Bayer Leverkusen holding out for £60m, Newcastle United are not giving up on their top target, despite not being willing to match that valuation.

Whilst any successful deal for Moussa Diaby would guarantee a new Newcastle United incoming transfer record, the Newcastle United owners not willing to go almost 50% higher than the £41.65m (including add-ons) that they paid for Bruno Guimaraes less than six months ago, the current club record.

Bayer Leverkusen paid £12m for a then 19 year old Moussa Diaby back in June 2019, so if he does move this summer, it will be a massive profit for the Bundesliga club.

Set to turn 23 tomorrow (7 July 2022), the French international (pictured above with Mbappe) attacking player has made ever more progress since arriving in Germany.

In league matches, Moussa Diaby had 10 (five goals, five assists) direct goal involvements in 2019/20, then 14 (four goals, ten assists) in 2020/21, before a phenomenal 25 (13 goals, 12 assists) this past 2021/22 season. Hence the Bayer Leverkusen valuation.

Indeed, including the Europa League last season, it was 31 direct goal involvements for the French international (eight caps so far), with 17 goals and 14 assists.

In comparison, in all competitions last season, Allan Saint-Maximin was the most productive for Newcastle with ten, five goals and five assists.

The Telegraph say that whilst Newcastle United are still pushing to make the Moussa Diaby deal happen, they are at the same time relatively relaxed, having already brought in Nick Pope, Sven Botman and Matt Targett this summer. Making it a total of seven first team signings altogether in 2022 and £160m+ committed on transfer fees plus add-ons.

Bayer Leverkusen are well on with pre-season preparations and indeed play their first match of the new season, a cup game, in only 24 days time, against MSV Duisburg, before then meeting Borussia Dortmund the following weekend for their first Bundesliga match.

Whilst the German club can offer Moussa Diaby Champions League football next season, Newcastle United will be full of confidence after Sven Botman chose St James’ Park over a move to Serie A champions AC Milan. Whilst Bruno Guimaraes could have also chosen a club in January, who almost certainly would have been able to offer CL football this coming season.

Newcastle United selling signings the idea of a longer-term project and a club in the all powerful Premier League who are building and building, with the plan of getting ever more competitive.

Whilst Bayer Leverkusen are still clinging to that £60m valuation, with the season quickly approaching, they will need to decide whether they are going to do business with Newcastle United or indeed anybody else, as no club has indicated so far they are ready to pay that asking price.

The Telegraph say that after having concentrated in sorting the defensive side out so far this summer, with Pope, Targett and Botman added to the Burn and Trippier signings in January, Eddie Howe now wants to add two attacking players, with Moussa Diaby top of the list of targets.

The financial side of things this summer would become far more manageable if Newcastle succeed in getting Armando Broja on loan from Chelsea, as that would then free up more funds for a potential Diaby deal.

Other media have been pushing claims that Newcastle United are now actively chasing Gabriel Barbosa and Jesse Lingard but The Telegraph say that their information is that those claims are wide of the mark.

Newcastle’s transfer business, a quality player and very exciting to watch.

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