Newcastle’s striker search saw us linked with a new target today in Atletico Madrid giant Alexander Sorloth, but there has been two Premier League alternatives that have been targeted for much of the week.
Yoane Wissa of Brentford is the name that refuses to go away, while Wolves’ Jorgen Strand Larsen is a player we’ve also started pursuing this week in our desperate search for a Callum Wilson replacement at the very least.
A £40m bid for Wissa was rejected on Wednesday, seeing the Bees stand firm as the DR Congo star pushes for a move, while there are mixed reports on Larsen.
Midlands outlet the Express and Star suggest we aren’t far from matching Wolves’ asking price – a £5m gap was even stated on Thursday – while The Mail’s Craig Hope insists they have no interest in selling the big Norwegian.
But what have their managers said? Starting with Wissa, new Bees boss Keith Andrews has had this to say when quizzed on the striker today, signalling his desire to keep him even if he’s unlikely to face Aston Villa tomorrow:
“He’s been training with the team. I’ll make a decision on the squad tomorrow, but he’s been part of the group this week.
“He’s a Brentford player right now. My stance around Yoane all along is that I don’t want him to leave; that hasn’t changed.”
“For me, I don’t want to lose a player of that quality. He knows I want him to stay. My stance hasn’t changed; I want a striker that scored 19 Premier League goals in this building”
Then to Vitor Pereira at Wolves, who has been asked about Strand Larsen today.
The Portuguese boss admits he has not spoken to the 25-year-old about Newcastle’s interest and has praised his commitment in training, but refused to rule out a move before the window shuts in 10 days time:
“For us, he’s a very important player. I never spoke with him about it, he’s our player.
“I watch him in training and he’s committed. He’s preparing himself to play tomorrow. If the window is open players can come and leave. This is football.”
Both deals look tricky, with Wolves and Brentford at risk of relegation after losing a number of key players already this summer.
This will only harden their stance and increase their demands, which may explain why links to Sorloth and Chelsea’s available Nicolas Jackson have emerged today.