Ligue 1 ace on the St James’ Park radar.
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Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew has publicly stated his interest in Lyon forward Bafetimbi Gomis amid speculation of a probable bid by the Magpies for the experienced French international according to Sky Sports.
Pardew, no stranger to shopping in Ligue 1, responded to reports of the club’s interest in the 27 year old former Saint-Etienne man by stating;
“We have expressed an interest in Gomis,”
“We think that he’s a player who has great potential.
“He’s a French international who’s played at the highest level for his club.”
A couple of months back many would have assumed that interest in Gomis would be with a view to adequately replacing Demba Ba, who left the club for Chelsea in January, but now a move for the powerful forward could well be down to the continued issues with current striker Papiss Cisse.
The Senegalese international has refused to wear the club’s new shirt due to a sponsorship row relating to Wonga, the money-lending company, and the devout Muslim has even offered to wear an alternative charity branded alternative but this hasn’t gone down well with the North-East club.
Cash strapped Lyon are thought to be willing to sell Gomis, who has also attracted the interest of Aston Villa, Swansea City and Cardiff City. One would imagine the presence of French international colleagues Moussa Sissoko, Mathieu Debuchy, Hatem Ben Arfa and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa would perhaps lead the Lyon man to opt for a move to St James’ Park.
Gomis is a consistent goal-scorer who has managed to reach double figures in Ligue 1 action in each of the past seven seasons and last term finished as the fourth top scorer in French top tier with 16 goals.