Leeds United and Newcastle United have reportedly received a boost in their efforts to sign Azzedine Ounahi, with Angers now identifying a successor for the Moroccan international.
According to Foot Mercato, the French club are considering a move for Moataz Zemzemi in the event that Ounahi leaves Angers next month, with the last-place Ligue 1 side expected to allow the midfielder to leave after a breakout 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Lauded as ‘incredible’ by Jose Mourinho, Ounahi was key for Morocco as the Atlas Lions became the first African and Arabic nation to make it to the World Cup semi-finals, where interest has since exploded in the 22-year-old, with Angers setting a €40m (£34m) price tag on the youngster.
90min have already reported that Newcastle are keeping tabs on Ounahi, which AS Roma Live claim that Jesse Marsch’s Leeds also have an interest in the Angers superstar, who could soon leave the French club for a massive transfer fee in January.
Indeed, the race to sign Ounahi is hotting up, and this latest update from France will be viewed by Leeds and Newcastle as a massive boost in their efforts to land the midfielder, with Angers now having a plan in place for the World Cup star to leave.
With the January window just a few days from opening, Leeds and Newcastle will soon have to ramp up their efforts to sign Ounahi. And this latest update could be key in either Premier League side winning the race to bring the talented midfielder to England.
Leeds and Newcastle must do all they can to sign Ounahi
Ounahi showed in Qatar that the youngster has the potential to become a serious player at a top level, and Angers’ move to identify a successor will be a major boost for Leeds and Newcastle in their attempts to sign the youngster next month.
With the two clubs looking to spend, it will be interesting to see which Premier League side ends up on top in the race to sign Ounahi, with both Leeds and Newcastle having strong cases each in why they would be perfect for the Morocco international.
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