Newcastle United are ready to "quickly" swoop for Yoane Wissa after Brentford reached a deal with Bournemouth to make Dango Ouattara his replacement.
Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie reports that the Magpies expect to swiftly move for Wissa now that the Bees have found a replacement in Ouattara. The Burkinabe winger is joining Keith Andrews' side in a club-record £42m deal.
Wissa has long been on Eddie Howe's radar, irrespective of wantaway Alexander Isak's future at St James' Park. He has made clear his desire to join the Tynside outfit, and a switch now looks increasingly likely to take place.
Newcastle To Finally Swoop For Brentford's Yoane Wissa
Yoane Wissa celebrating after scoring for Brentford
Wissa was one of the Premier League's most in-form attackers last season, forming a formidable partnership with Bryan Mbeumo at the Gtech. The DR Congo international bagged 19 goals, finishing fifth in the Golden Boot race and earned interest from several top English clubs.
Newcastle have shown interest in the player throughout the summer but struggled to persuade Brentford to part ways. The transfer saga's latest development means Howe looks set to finally get his hands on a new forward.
Downie wrote on X:
"Newcastle are expected to move quickly on Yoane Wissa. We are told Wissa's reps were assured Brentford would engage with Newcastle if they got movement on forward reinforcements. Dango Ouattara's move from Bournemouth to Brentford is now agreed. Wissa's camp ready to finalise personal terms with Newcastle."
Andrews confirmed during his pre-match press conference that Wissa would miss Brentford's season opener against Nottingham Forest on Sunday (August 17). This is down to speculation over his future with the growing expectation that he'll be a Newcastle player before the window closes on September 1.
GIVEMESPORT sources learned earlier this month that the 28-year-old had formally informed Andrews he wanted to leave, join Howe's Magpies and play Champions League football. He asked to depart for a fee of £40m with the club initially valuing him at £50m and turning down a £25m bid from the Tyneside side earlier in the window.
Wissa is a versatile attacking option for Howe, providing depth in several areas of attack, including as a number nine. The black and whites are crying out for a new frontman amid Isak's decision to down tools and refuse to play for the club again, as he wants a move to Liverpool.
Newcastle has targeted several top European forwards but has failed to convince them to move to St James' Park. This includes Benjamin Sesko, who joined Manchester United from RB Leipzig, and Joao Pedro, who joined Chelsea from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Wissa outscored both Sesko and Pedro in their respective leagues last season and displayed impressive adaptability, flourishing alongside Mbeumo at the Gtech. While there have been questions about his antics in trying to make the move happen, he is a late bloomer who has demonstrated "extraordinary perseverance" (according to Breaking the Lines) throughout his career.