Newcastle United reportedly want Alassane Plea, but he wants somebody else according to a report.
A Newcastle United target has reportedly decided his next move, but it’s not St James’s Park.
The Magpies have been linked with a move for Alassane Plea for much of the summer, and Le10 Sport reported last week that OGC Nice had rejected a bid by Newcastle for the striker.
Several other Premier League clubs were then linked with the 25-year-old, which won’t have pleased Rafael Benitez, but it looks like their hopes of bringing him to the North East has suffered another blow.
Le10 Sport have now claimed that the French marksman wants to join Borussia Monchengladbach who, according to the same report, have seen a £20.4 million bid rejected.
The French outlet goes on to claim that Nice would want around £22.2 million for Plea – quite a contrast to the £27 million which The Northern Echo suggested was the asking price.
Either way, those figures would represent a club record for Newcastle, whose most expensive signing is Michael Owen at £16 million back in 2005 [The Chronicle].
However, it looks increasingly difficult for Benitez to pull off the deal if Plea has his heart set on joining the Bundesliga side, so the ball appears to be in their court at the moment.
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