Newcastle United have been handed a transfer boost as Boubakary Soumare is allegedly unsettled at the club.
It was claimed on transfer deadline day that the 20-year-old was subject to a ‘record-breaking’ offer from the Magpies which was accepted, however, the defensive midfielder went onto reject the move.
Since the transfer didn’t go through, the player has barely played for Lille, being left out of his two previous fixtures and being on the bench for the two before them, as per the Chronicle.
While speaking about the situation, Lille boss Christopher Galtier chose to not shed too much light about what’s going on – though that could be more revealing than actually saying something.
He told L’Equipe: “There is a situation at the club that I do not comment on.
“In seasons, there can be tension between a player and his club. We’ll settle this internally and find a solution.
“Under these conditions, I therefore decided to work on two other options this week [Cheikh Niasse and Jean Onana].”
Should Bruce try to sign Soumare again in the summer?
Yes
No
The Chronicle state that the club are very likely to go back in for him in the summer, but that is certainly no assurance that they will get him considering the calibre of club interested in him.
According to reports, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool are also in the chase for the midfielder, and if just one of those clubs actually tries at the same time as the Magpies, then surely Steve Bruce’s side will not come away with the player. If the player really wanted to join, he probably would have done in January rather than be sat on the Lille bench at the moment.
He’s had an impressive season so far, which has obviously seen him be linked with such top sides. However, the priority for Newcastle at the moment won’t be on defensive midfielders, but perhaps a player who knows where the goal is.
Soumare averages one tackle per game, 0.8 interceptions per match, as well as 0.6 key passes per match, 1.1 dribbles per game and a 90 per cent passing accuracy rate, per WhoScored.