Newcastle United are considering signing Leandro Trossard in the January transfer window.
According to 90min transfer insider Graeme Bailey, the Brighton star is a target for both Newcastle and Chelsea, with Newcastle ‘taking a keen interest’ in how contract negotiations between the player and the club progress.
Bailey claims that Brighton already have offered to make Trossard the ‘highest paid player’ at the club so any Newcastle offer will have to be at least match that.
And while speaking on the latest episode of the Talking Transfers podcast. Bailey said that he believes the Magpies are keeping an eye on Trossard and that he will cost around ‘£25m’. He said (via This is Futbol):
“And Newcastle I think they’d sign him for a different reason or they want him for a different reason. They do still lack that ability to unlock teams at times in the final third you know.
“At the moment, Newcastle are relying on the spectacular. We’ve seen Almiron has hit a rich vein of form and it’s his magical moments. We saw Fabian Schar hit a 30-yarder against Nottingham Forest earlier in the season. But sometimes you’ve got to work your way through these players. And they’re a bit over-reliant on Bruno at times.”
“And in terms of fees, with a year left, you know, you’re not looking at £50m. But yeah, I think you’re looking £25m I would say, from what I’m hearing £20m/£25m is about right.”
The Brighton star has made an excellent start to the season, with five Premier League goals and two assists already to his name including a wonderful hattrick against Liverpool.
Newcastle who have also made an excellent start to the season under Eddie Howe, who has been fully backed by the new owners. They are sixth in the table, two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, and a win over Spurs could see them sneak into the top four if the Blues fail to beat United.
And Howe is looking to build on their strong start by signing more players in the January transfer window, which could help them pose a real challenge for a top-six finish, with Trossard being one of the targets.