Newcastle 'will explore deals' for exciting £120m duo at St James' Park | OneFootball

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GiveMeSport

·29 September 2022

Newcastle 'will explore deals' for exciting £120m duo at St James' Park

Article image:Newcastle 'will explore deals' for exciting £120m duo at St James' Park

Newcastle United ‘will explore’ move for the likes of Moussa Diaby and James Maddison in the near future, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Magpies were heavily linked with both players over the summer before baulking at their price tags and opting to sign Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad in a club-record deal instead.


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What is the latest news involving Newcastle?

Back in July, The Telegraph reported that Newcastle had ended their pursuit of Diaby due to his current club Bayer Leverkusen placing a £60 million asking price on their prized asset.

Eddie Howe openly admitted that he was in the market for attacking reinforcements after successfully strengthening his backline but wasn’t prepared to overpay in his quest for additional firepower.

The Guardian then revealed a month later that the Newcastle hierarchy had turned their attention to Leicester City attacking midfielder Maddison.

Article image:Newcastle 'will explore deals' for exciting £120m duo at St James' Park

However, the St. James’ Park outfit saw two bids rejected for the one-cap England international, with the second totalling £50m, with £5m of that coming in potential add-ons.

Like Leverkusen, Leicester were said to be unwilling to budge from their £60m valuation of Maddison, forcing Newcastle to move on to alternative targets.

What has Jones said about Newcastle?

Newcastle are at the beginning of an exciting project under their mega-rich owners, and Jones believes they could revive their interest in Diaby and Maddison.

He told GiveMeSport: “So, whether it was somebody like James Maddison, who we’ve seen at Leicester, even though they’re having such a poor season; he’s been a standout player in the league.

“Or whether it’s Diaby, who is capable of some real magic, I do think that Newcastle will explore those sorts of avenues.”

How has Diaby and Maddison been playing?

It has been a tough season so far for Diaby, who earns £48,000-per-week, with the France international registering just three goal contributions in his 10 appearances to date.

The 23-year-old has been hampered by Leverkusen’s overall struggles, though, as the Bundesliga outfit have won just twice in all competitions in 2022/23.

Maddison, on the other hand, has showcased his top-class potential in the early stages of the campaign despite Leicester sitting rock bottom of the Premier League.

The creative talent has racked up three goals and one assist in his seven outings, earning his £110,000-per-week pay packet at the King Power Stadium.

Only time will tell if Newcastle attempt to snap either player up in January or next summer, but both players would surely bolster Howe’s charges in the final third of the pitch.

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