Newcastle United are interested in signing Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele this summer after talks were held with the player’s representatives.
What’s the latest news on Newcastle and Dembele?
Eddie Howe is looking to bring Champions League football back to St James’ Park, with the Magpies in a solid position in the Premier League to finish in the top four in the final.
The club are three points clear of fifth place Tottenham with a game in hand, and qualifying for Europe’s biggest club competition could help them in the transfer market when it comes to bolstering Howe’s squad with proven quality.
One player who has been heavily linked with a move to Newcastle is Dembele, with interest dating back to last year when reports suggested that personal terms had been agreed with the winger.
As we know, a move failed to materialise last summer, but it looks as if the Magpies could go back in for the France international, who is currently on around £200,000-a-week at the Nou Camp.
90min reporter Graeme Bailey shared a story he's heard in the last 48 hours regarding Newcastle and Dembele. He stated that the club, and by extension owners PIF, once again hold an interest in the winger, adding that Magpies intermediaries met with the player’s camp during his recent trip to England.
It is believed that ‘brief contact’ was made between the player's representatives and Newcastle chiefs, with Dembele, who went to watch Sunderland, ‘attracted by the prospect of playing in the Premier League’.
Should Newcastle sign Dembele?
Dembele, hailed as a ‘special’ player by Xavi Hernandez, has been out of action with a hamstring injury since February. The 25-year-old in fact has an extremely long injury history during his career, missing more than 100 games for Barcelona with various problems.
Therefore, you could say that moving for the forward would be a gamble, but provided he can stay fully fit, may prove to be an excellent signing. He had contributed to 15 goals in 28 games for Barcelona this season, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.23/10, a higher score than any Newcastle midfielder or attacker.
Hailed as a two-footed player who can penetrate defences by Didier Deschamps, Dembele would provide an option on either wing for Howe, and with the player about to enter the final 12 months of his Barcelona contract, he could be available for a cut-price fee.