Report: Newcastle to miss out on ‘powerhouse’ as Nice agree £17m deal

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Newcastle United are set to miss out on AS Monaco talent Sofiane Diop with OGC Nice this weekend agreeing to a €20.5m (£17m) deal to sign the 22-year-old attacking midfielder.

According to Nice Matin, the French clubs have reached an agreement over the sale of Diop, with the exciting French youth international set to join Nice in what is the Ligue 1 side’s latest ambitious move of the summer transfer window.

Nice have already signed Aaron Ramsey and Nicolas Pepe with Lucien Favre’s side also qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League, and now, the French Riviera side will add Diop to their ranks in a deal that will see Newcastle miss out on the Monaco prospect.

The Magpies had been linked with a move for the attacking midfielder for the past few weeks, yet with the signing of Alexander Isak, it makes sense why Newcastle have failed in their attempt to bring Diop to the northeast, with Nice on the verge of announcing the youngster.

Hailed as a ‘powerhouse’ of a talent by Breaking The Lines, Diop was one of the most entertaining talents in Ligue 1 last season as Monaco just missed out on a second-place finish in the standings, and for Nice, they have arguably landed one of the shrewdest deals of the summer in the 22-year-old.

A French youth international coming off his best season to date, Diop has the potential to become a superstar for Nice, and if the youngster can form an early connection with the likes of Pepe and Amine Gouiri, Favre will have an incredible attacking trident on his hands for the new season.

Newcastle could regret missing out on new Nice signing Diop

Newcastle have managed some excellent business this summer in Isak, Nick Pope and Sven Botman, yet missing out on Diop could sting for Eddie Howe, with the midfielder arguably a player the Toon could have done with for the new season.

Alas, Newcastle have missed their chance to sign Diop, and for Nice, the French side could now reap the benefits of having the youngster on their books with their potential success in Ligue 1 and potentially in Europe if Favre can find that winning formula.