Montpellier president Laurent Nicollin is fearing the departure of striker Andy Delort amid reported interested from Newcastle United and Wolves, as he told Midi Libre.
For Montpellier fans, February 2 really couldn’t have come soon enough.
After weeks of speculation, there was a huge sigh of relief on the banks of the Med as the Ligue 1 outfit managed to retain the services of two star players despite plenty of interest from elsewhere.
Gaetan Laborde decided to stay and, despite being linked with a number of Premier League clubs, so did his strike partner.
According to Le Buteur, Newcastle boss Steve Bruce had identified Delort as the ideal addition to his goal-shy front line.
Wolverhampton Wanderers, meanwhile, came within a whisker of snapping up the Algerian international before turning their attention instead to Willian Jose (Jeunes Footeaux).
The January window might be behind them now but, with the summer market about to begin, Nicollin is still enduring the odd sleepless night.
“I really appreciate him, he is, for me, the leader of the group. If one day he is no longer here, we will lose a lot,” Nicollin said, suggesting that Delort will be handed the armband if he stays for 2021/22.
“I hope that he will be well in his head, that he will still give many years to me. May he be my captain of La Paillade next year.”
The £14 million-rated Delort has produced a highly impressive 10 goals and seven assists this season – far more than Fabio Silva and Willian Jose have managed between them in Old Gold.
Interestingly, Wolves came close to signing Delort all the way back in 2014 too, when Kenny Jackett was still in the Molineux dugout.
With Jose’s loan spell coming to an end in May, expect Wolves – and a struggling Newcastle side – to renew their interest in the summer.
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