Newcastle United have missed out on signing Everton forward Oumar Niasse, according to the Mirror.
The newspaper claimed via their live transfer blog on Thursday [07:28] that Niasse, 28, had been a target of the Magpies, but he is now due to undergo a medical with Cardiff today (Thursday) before joining them on loan.
It is understood that Huddersfield were also interested in signing the £50,000-a-week (Spotrac) striker until David Wagner quit the John Smith’s Stadium earlier this week.
OPINION
Niasse would not have been any good for Newcastle anyway, so this is not a major blow for Rafa Benitez. The 28-year-old has scored just nine goals in 39 appearances across all competitions since joining Everton in January 2016. Marco Silva clearly doesn’t fancy him and there is no suggestion that he is any better than Salomon Rondon, who is currently at St James’ Park on loan from West Brom. Newcastle’s Premier League rivals Cardiff might have a good signing on their hands though. Their goalscoring options are not as good as the Magpies’, so it could strengthen their bid to avoid relegation back to the Championship. It has been a frustrating time for Newcastle fans. Every player they get linked with they seem to miss out on. Niasse is one of many players who Benitez has reportedly looked at but hasn’t headed to Tyneside. He won’t be the last this month, either.