Maxime Gonalons looks set to be made available for transfer and Rafa Benitez, a long-standing admirer, could make his move.
Newcastle United could be about to make a move for Lyon captain Maxime Gonalons, according to L’Equipe.
The report suggests that, after a difficult season, Gonalons could be made available this summer – and Rafa Benitez would be keen to bring the midfielder to Tyneside.
The 28-year-old has just a year left on his Lyon contract and that would mean a deal could be done for a cut-price fee, possibly in the region of just £4million.
Despite a tough campaign, a deal at that price would surely represent great business for Newcastle, with Gonalons boasting eight caps as a France international.
Benitez, too, would be delighted to finally work with a player who he courted while at Napoli, the pursuit lasting the entirety of his first year in charge before Lyon announced Gonalons would be staying in France.
Even if the French midfelder has struggled for form of late, he could bring invaluable experience to a position where the talented youth of Isaac Hayden is the alternative.
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