Newcastle United could lure Maxwel Cornet to the club, with the current project on Tyneside likely to be “attractive” to players of his calibre.
That is according to Pete O’Rourke, who was speaking to This is Futbol about the Magpies’ remaining transfer business this summer.
According to ChronicleLive, Cornet could be available for as little as £17.5m due to a release clause in his contract at Burnley.
He would likely be a cheaper option than some of the other targets the club have been linked with this season, including Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby and Real Sociedad’s Alexander Isak.
Burnley are likely to want to sell some of their assets this summer, as Vincent Kompany plans for a rebuild at Turf Moor following their relegation to the Championship last season.
And O’Rourke believes that Cornet could be attracted to the project going on at Newcastle this season following last October’s takeover by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, despite interest from Everton and Fulham.
He said: “Everton and Fulham are thinking for Maxwel Cornet, so it doesn’t look like he’s going to be short of options before the transfer window closes.
“But I’m sure the project that’s going on at Newcastle right now is definitely going to be something that’s going to be attractive to a player such as Cornet.”
TIF Thoughts on O’Rourke’s comments…
We believe that Cornet, who was described as a ‘massive talent’, would be an extremely useful acquisition for Newcastle, and at the reasonable price of £17.5m, it is a transfer they should be looking to make.
The 29-time Ivory Coast international made 28 appearances for Burnley last season, scoring nine goals and providing two assists – an impressive amount for a winger in a relegated side.
We think that Eddie Howe could do a lot worse than secure the signing of Cornet, who is already a proven Premier League performer, and like O’Rourke, we believe that the former Lyon man would be sold on the Newcastle project.