Newcastle United will be looking to add more attacking options to the ranks in the January transfer window after failing to add to their midfield ranks in the summer.
Two names that were heavily linked [GiveMeSport] to the Magpies in the summer were James Maddison of Leicester and Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen. Neither transfer materialised as their respective clubs priced their players out of the market.
However, as the January transfer window draws ever near, several stars have aligned that means Newcastle could land either/or both targets for a reduced fee.
While James Maddison has been the bright star in the bleak start Leicester City have made to this year’s Premier League campaign, his contract at the King Walkers Power Crisps Stadium is rapidly running down, and given that Newcastle are sitting in a Champions League spot while Leicester have just dragged themselves out of the danger zone, a move will likely look appealing to the England hopeful.
As much as Leicester would like to keep Maddison, you would think they’d rather cash in on him in January sooner rather than later as with each passing window his value decreases as he draws near to leaving on a free in 2024. Leicester wanted Newcastle to stump up £60m for Maddison in the summer but Newcastle stuck fast at around £50m. If the Magpies were to go in again at that kind of level I’d expect the deal may be done.
Moussa Diaby, meanwhile isn’t having the best of seasons and is part of a Bayer Leverkusen team who are really struggling this term. With Diaby’s form suffering and Leverkusen languishing in 15th position in the Bundesliga, Diaby will no doubt be reconsidering his stance in the summer where he turned down any advances to stay and help Leverkusen push up in the league.
🚨 James Maddison, and Moussa Diaby, are considered realistic January targets for Newcastle.⬛ #NUFC pic.twitter.com/ZPlH8UVDdm
— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) October 26, 2022
It was a similar story as the Maddison transfer with Newcastle going in at £40m and Leverkusen wanting £60m before Diaby declared his intent to stay. Now with things looking bleaker for the Frenchman, Newcastle could be able to prise him away from Germany for a fee closer to the £40m they originally offered.
If Newcastle are still in and around the European places come January, it’s likely that the PIF will throw money at Eddie Howe to ensure they stay there. While the new owners are realistic in their approach with it being a long-term plan to success, I don’t think they’d pass up the opportunity to speed up the process.