'Better than Mbappe': Some fans blown away by £135m Newcastle target

What a cameo from a reported Newcastle United target on Tuesday night.

According to a report from Foot Mercato, Newcastle are keen on signing Ousmane Dembele in January.

The Barcelona winger has had a stop-start season in Spain and the St James’s Park club reportedly want him on Tyneside.

But based on his performance last night, Barcelona won’t be letting him go anywhere.

Dembele was probably the best player on the pitch as the Camp Nou club drew 0-0 with Benfica in the UEFA Champions League.

The Newcastle-linked sensation only had 25 minutes in which to make a mark, after starting on the bench.

But he did more in that time than Memphis Depay did up front in over an hour.

Here’s how some fans on Twitter have reacted to his performance:

Fitness

The problem with Dembele – who cost £135 million in 2017 [BBC Sport] – is fitness.

He is absolutely a special talent and one who’d improve any side, let alone Newcastle United.

But he has a horrific injury record and until that changes, there’s always going to be question marks over him.

The Magpies already have a similar player in Allan Saint-Maximin.

Both are cheetah-quick and have one hell of a bag of tricks.

But Newcastle’s version is also a tad inconsistent and with an injury-prone Dembele in the first XI, how often would you see the best of both?