While it’s usually Arsenal who take the plaudits for finding the bargains from the French leagues, Newcastle have a good history of signings players from that market too.
Of course for every Yohan Cabaye there will be an Henri Saviet, but Ligue 1 is a physical league that acts as a perfect stepping stone to the Premier League, while the prices tend to be affordable for English clubs too.
The Newcastle fans are having to deal with the reality of the takeover bid falling through, while it sounds like the club are now trying to make moves ahead of next season.
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Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare has been impressive over the past couple of seasons, but it looks like Newcastle’s opening bid has been turned down:
Lille have turned down a bid [€35m add ons includer] from Newcastle for the French midfielder Boubacary Soumaré. ???? #NUFC #transfers
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 10, 2020
He’s a brilliant all-round midfielder who has the physicality to get around the pitch while also having the technical quality to dominate a game.
He’s only 21 so he does still need to develop further, but everything about his game suggests he could go on to play for a truly elite team.
The reality is that Newcastle would only be a stepping stone for him to then move on to bigger things after a season or two, but the club would also have the chance to make a lot of money by selling him on if he does well.
It’s not clear if they plan to go back in with another bid, but it is encouraging to see Newcastle going after some exciting prospects and offering decent money too.