Newcastle may back away from Moussa Diaby as they seemingly don’t like Bayer Leverkusen’s huge £60million price tag on the winger.
The Magpies want to another winger this summer with the idea of playing them down the right flank with Allan Saint-Maximin on the left.
Newcastle first need to actually ensure they keep hold of Saint-Maximin, but we could see a very dangerous tandem next season.
Ismaila Sarr of Watford is one target for that role but it looks like Bayer Leverkusen star Diaby can be crossed off the list.
Newcastle may back away from Moussa Diaby
Diaby has been linked with Newcastle for some time now having explored a January move for the French wide man.
The 22-year-old was simply outstanding for Leverkusen this past season, racking up 13 goals and 12 assists in 32 Bundesliga games.
With terrifying pace and a superb left foot, Diaby proved to be a constant menace to Bundesliga defenders.
Those displays have unsurprisingly attracted major interest and Newcastle have been heavily linked.
However, The Telegraph claim that Newcastle’s interest in Diaby is now over because of Leverkusen’s £60million asking price.
Newcastle were seemingly hoping for a much cheaper price and feel that there is no deal to be done around Leverkusen’s demands.
We can’t exactly say that Newcastle’s pursuit is completely dead as we are very early into the summer and there is plenty of time for things to change.
Yet unless Leverkusen drop their price or Newcastle decide to really splash the cash on Diaby, it’s hard to see a deal happening.
That’s the profile Newcastle are going for though, and the hope is that they can now find somebody of similar quality to Diaby without paying £60million.
The real blow for Newcastle could come if Diaby goes to another Premier League club given that Arsenal are also interested in the winger.
Arsenal would surely have the same reaction to Leverkusen demanding £60million for Diaby, but Newcastle backing away does give them a real chance.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
