Magpies are desperate for playmaker to return to action.
Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts
Newcastle United head coach Alan Pardew has pleaded with Arsenal target Yohan Cabaye to bring to an end his self-imposed strike and play for the club against Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday, according to reports in the Daily Mail.
The coveted France international was the subject of a recent £10 million bid from the north London club on the eve of the Magpies’ trip to take on Manchester City in the top flight.
However, the Gunners’ offer was immediately rejected out of hand by the north-east giants, who value the 27-year-old at £20m and will not allow Cabaye to move to the Emirates this summer unless their valuation has been met.
The playmaker, though, reacted to the news that his club had turned down Arsenal’s opening bid by downing tools and refusing to play in Newcastle’s opening two Premier League fixtures of the new campaign, both of which they failed to score in.
And now with the clock slowly ticking down until the close-season transfer window slams shut for business for the year on Sept 2, the Geordies are facing an anxious wait to see if Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger returns with an improved offer for the Frenchman.
Either way, though, Pardew still wants his star man to play against the Cottagers on Saturday and help the club record their first win of the campaign.