Newcastle are weighing up a January bid for PSV Eindhoven winger Johan Bakayoko, according to The Telegraph.
The Magpies had prioritised moves for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo but, with both players valued in the £50m to £60m range, their asking price has been deemed too high.
It remains to be seen whether they will have any more luck getting a deal over the line for Bakayoko.
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The Telegraph report that PSV are reluctant sellers and a deal may have to wait until the end of the season if Newcastle can’t find the necessary funds.
How much would Bakayoko cost?
It was reported back in the summer that PSV would demand around €50m (£41m) for the Belgian international. That is slightly less than Mbeumo and Semenyo.
However, it is still a sizeable sum and concerns over the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules mean that the Magpies may decide to delay any formal bid.
Other Premier League clubs have considered making offers for the Newcastle target
In May, reports in the Belgian media had claimed that Arsenal, Liverpool and Bayern Munich had all made enquiries about Bakayoko.
Bayern ultimately ended up signing Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise, while the Gunners and the Reds snapped up Raheem Sterling and Federico Chiesa respectively.
Whether that means Eddie Howe’s side will have a free run at signing Bakayoko, though, it is uncertain. The 21-year-old has had a decent season so far, scoring 6 goals and providing 3 assists in 20 appearances, but it is fair to say that he hasn’t been as prolific as last campaign when he averaged a goal contribution every 1.71 matches.
That may indicate that teams won’t be banging down the door to buy him, which could help Newcastle secure his services.
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