Newcastle United were reportedly keen on Badou Ndiaye before he joined Stoke City and could offer him a Premier League lifeline.
Newcastle United could finally sign Badou Ndiaye, albeit five months later than they had allegedly hoped.
According to the Mail, Newcastle were very interested in the Senegalese midfielder in the January transfer window but were left disappointed when he joined Stoke City instead, signing from Galatasaray for a fee of £14 million.
But Ndiaye could be on his way out of Stoke after just 13 Premier League games. Turkish outlet Sporx report that the 27-year-old has a relegation clause in his contract, which Wolves and Leicester City were willing to trigger.
Do not rule out Ndiaye joining Newcastle at long last, however. The Chronicle reports that manager Rafa Benitez has been impressed by the feedback he has received on the former Osmanlispor talisman and could renew his interest this summer.
That said, any deal would rely on Stoke accepting cut-price offers. It is understood that Newcastle were never going to offer the £14 million Stoke paid for Ndiaye back in the winter.
Ndiaye is a powerful and energetic midfielder who forged a reputation as a reliable goal-scorer in Turkey, even though he managed to score just three times in 30 league games for Galatasaray and Stoke across 2017/18.
But he would give Newcastle some strength in depth, providing competition for Jonjo Shelvey and Mo Diame in the centre of the park.
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