La Liga side Sevilla are plotting a stunning swoop for Newcastle United defender Florian Lejeune just 12 months after he left Spain for England, according to Estadio Deportivo.
The Spanish publication claim on their website that the side which finished seventh in Spain’s top flight are keen on taking the 27-year-old back after he arrived at Newcastle for an £8.7million (€10million) deal from Eibar last summer.
It is said that Sevilla boss Pablo Machin, who was the 6’2″ (source: Transfermarkt) defender’s coach at Girona, wants a reunion with his former star, but that the Magpies would demand a huge profit from his sale were he to leave St James’ Park, having penned a deal until 2022.
Opinion
As much as Michin might want Lejeune back in Spain this summer, this is a non-starter. The French centre back was one of Rafael Benitez’s top targets last summer as he looked for a confident ball playing defender with a good reading of the game and the ability to move play forward from the back, and after an elongated transfer hunt he finally got his man. When fit and available, with injuries having forced him out of action in his debut season with the Magpies, Lejeune has been in the starting XI, taking the place of Ciaran Clark alongside Jamaal Lascelles at the heart of the defence. Only a seriously big offer would convince Benitez to sell and that is not likely to happen even if Sevilla do come knocking. Newcastle might need transfer funds from the sale of players but they also need to keep a strong core to their side, and Lejeune is a key member of the squad.