Newcastle United could reportedly miss out on Amine Gouiri and Gaetan Laborde with OGC Nice and Stade Rennais in talks over a potential swap deal with the Ligue 1 attackers.
According to L’Equipe, both forwards are keen on moving on this summer ahead of the final days of the summer transfer window, with Nice and Rennes now in discussions over a deal that could see Gouiri and Laborde swap clubs, with Nice demanding the 28-year-old striker as well as a transfer fee for their star prospect.
The news will come as a shock given how rare swap deals are in European football, and for Newcastle, the Magpies will be dishearted to hear that they could miss out on two targets, with the Premier League side reportedly interested in both Gouiri and Laborde.
Although Newcastle recently made a huge move in the market with the club-record arrival of Alexander Isak, another attacker would be welcome at St. James Park, with Gouiri and Laborde both perfect contenders to join Eddie Howe’s side this summer.
However, with Nice and Rennes now opening surprise swap deal talks for Gouiri and Laborde, there’s a chance that the Ligue 1 sides could complete one of the strangest transfers of the window this summer, with the two forwards both ready to move to bigger clubs in Europe.
Indeed, both strikers were impressive in front of goal in Ligue 1, and Gouiri and Laborde agreeing to swap clubs would come as a surprise to many given which teams have been interested in the French pair this summer, with Newcastle the big losers should this one-off transfer happen.
Gouiri and Laborde swap deal will be a big blow for Newcastle
Newcastle might have landed a huge signing in Isak, but Gouiri and Laborde are two players the Toon have been chasing for some time, and the prospect of both of them potentially going off the market is a big blow for the northeast Premier League side.
After all, Gouiri and Laborde have been two of the best players in Ligue 1 in the past 12 months, and the two swapping clubs in one of the most surprising deals of the window is something Newcastle never would have expected, much to their dismay.
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