West Ham United made an offer to sign Alassane Plea from Ligue 1 side Nice according to reports and Premier League rivals Newcastle United must now respond.
As expected, Newcastle United will need to almost double their offer to win the race for Alassane Plea.
The 25-year-old Nice striker has emerged as Rafa Benitez’s first choice striker target, as the Spaniard aims to enhance a workmanlike Magpies’ side with a prolific centre-forward. Plea scored 21 goals in all competitions last season, including 16 in Ligue 1 despite Lucian Favre’s side stuttering to an eighth-place finish.
And it is understood that they have now been told to pay what would be a club record £27 million for a player who is also on the radar of a number of their Premier League rivals.
As a result, Newcastle would be forced to match the bid West Ham United made to sign the fleet-footed Frenchman, according to Sky Sports. Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham are also interested.
Newcastle have never paid more than £20 million for a player in their history. And it is now 13 years since they last smashed their transfer record, spending £17 million to bring Michael Owen back to the Premier League from Real Madrid in 2005.
With Nice making Plea’s price-tag clear, it remains to be seen how ambitious Newcastle really are this summer.
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