Newcastle were among the teams who failed in an attempt to sign Assan Ouedraogo from Schalke, according to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg.
RB Leipzig were the club that ultimately won the race for the teenager, but Plettenberg claimed that the Magpies also made their own offer:
“Newcastle, Frankfurt, Chelsea and more teams were pushing for Ouedraogo in the last hours. But RB now close to finalize the deal.”
It was confirmed earlier today that Ouedraogo would be joining Leipzig, with the Bundesliga side paying his €10m (£8.4m) release clause.
Who is Assan Ouedraogo?
Some in the media have already labelled him the “German Paul Pogba” due to similarities between him and the French World Cup winner’s style of play.
Whether Ouedraogo will live up to those comparisons though, it remains to be seen. He is still only 18 years of age, and he has made just 17 appearances at senior level in the German second division, scoring 3 goals and providing 2 assists last season.
What are Newcastle’s summer transfer plans?
After announcing the signing of Lloyd Kelly on a free transfer from Bournemouth, the club are also hoping to wrap up a deal for Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford in the not-too-distant future.
Manager Eddie Howe is said to be looking for three more signings after that, with a right-winger, a striker and a right-sided centre-back on the agenda.
The Magpies are, however, restricted in what they can do due to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules. A high-profile sale may be required in order to free up more transfer funds.
With Bruno Guimaraes’ release clause still active for next 10 more days, fans face a nervous wait to find out if any team will pay the £100m required. If the Brazilian does depart, it would allow Newcastle to move ahead with other deals but that would not be an ideal outcome. Other players, such as Yankuba Minteh, may be offloaded instead. The winger had an impressive spell out on loan at Feyenoord last season and he has plenty of suitors.
