Newcastle United are on the brink of signing Girondins de Bordeaux and Senegal midfielder Henri Saivet.
According to Gary Jacobs of The Times, the dynamic operator is currently in England, having flown over from France on Sunday evening. The West African is understood to be undergoing a medical with the Magpies, before likely becoming the latest Ligue 1 asset to sign for the north-east strugglers.
Henri Saivet flies into Newcastle United last night to talk move from Bordeaux more @TimesSport
— Gary Jacob (@garyjacob) January 11, 2016
It remains to be seen whether Newcastle will face last-minute competition for the player, with both north London heavyweights Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur understood to be keen on the midfielder. Back in December, the Mirror [via the International Business Times] reported that the capital rivals were planning to battle it out for the midfielder during the January transfer window, although both appear to be in the process of being gazumped by Steve McClaren’s side.
It is understood that a fee of £3.5 million would be enough to bring the 25-year-old to England, and with Spurs and the Gunners unlikely to be unable to afford this fee, it may be that after considerable time spent scouting the player, the pair believe there are better options to be had.
Indeed, Arsene Wenger’s side are understood to be closing in on the double signing of Granit Xhaka and Adrien Rabiot, players who would appear to be of a different calibre to Saivet.
The International Business Times reported that Everton, Aston Villa, Swansea City, Southampton and Bournemouth were all also keen on the 25-year-old, who made his name as an attacking player during the early years of a career, before a series of injuries led to a slowing of his progress and a remodelling as a dynamic central midfielder.
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