Monaco are willing to sell Benoit Badiashile for around £23 million this summer with the Newcastle United target’s price-tag falling substantially in the last 12 months, according to France Football.
About 12 months ago, yet another highly-rated French centre-back was being linked with a mega-money move to the Premier League.
Teenage Badiashile stood tall during a disastrous 2018/19 season at a Monaco side who had gone from Ligue 1 champions to relegation candidates in the blinking of an eye.
And, impressed by his maturity and positional sense, both Wolves and Tottenham were both ready to take a gamble on a £35 million-rated wonderkid who had honed his talents amid the glitz and glamour of Monte Carlo.
It’s fair to say he had come a long way since going viral, and infuriating a certain Thierry Henry, due to his lack of table manners.
Flash forward to the present day and, amid interest from Newcastle (RMC Sport in May), Monaco are willing to accept a reduced fee.
France Football claims that Monaco’s newly appointed sporting director Paul Mitchell, who was actually linked with the Magpies before moving to the Principality, is hoping to raise £23 million from Badiashile’s sale.
With Manchester United and Valencia throwing their respective hats into the ring, Newcastle have a mountain to climb if they want to add this 6ft 4ins man-mountain to their already impressive array of defensive options.
And with that Saudi takeover still wrapped in red tape, who knows what sort of budget the Magpies will have to work with?
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