According to journalist Dominic Scurr, Newcastle United’s only chance of signing starlet Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen hinges on selling a key player like Allan Saint-Maximin this summer.
Newcastle are still looking to add top-quality players to their squad this summer after securing a deal for Sven Botman earlier in the window, and they have been linked with 23-year-old winger Diaby, who shone in the Bundesliga last season.
However, despite being the richest club in the world, Scurr believes that in order for Newcastle to splash the cash on Diaby, they will need to move on a star player like Saint-Maximin for a similar fee to what they would spend on the player.
He said on the Loaded Mag NUFC YouTube channel: “If Newcastle get him – and I think it is a big if – he would probably be the marquee signing so far, but like I say, it would really require them to really push the boat out, and I think it’s probably verging on the side of unrealistic this summer.
“Unless they were to – and I’m not saying they will – sell an Allan Saint-Maximin or something for a similar sort of fee. That’s the only way I can see it happening.”
TIF Thoughts on Scurr’s comments…
It might come as a surprise that Newcastle would need to sell a top-quality player like Saint-Maximin in order to bring in Diaby after the huge injection of cash from their owners, but with the looming presence of Financial Fair Play, it makes sense for them to be sensible with their spending.
Last season, Diaby impressed at Leverkusen as he grabbed 17 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for the German side, while averaging 1.8 shots, 1.5 key passes and 1.7 dribbles per game, according to WhoScored.
The midfielder also ranked in the 94th percentile for assists and the 91st percentile for non-penalty goals compared to other attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues, according to FBRef.
While Saint-Maximin has been a huge player for the Magpies since he arrived, we feel that using him to finance a deal for a player with the potential of Diaby makes sense for the project moving forward under their new ownership in the Premier League.
Will Newcastle sign Diaby?Yes
No
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And it does seem as if there is interest out there for the French winger with Tottenham Hotspur’s sporting director, Fabio Paratici, believed to be a big fan of the Newcastle man.