Newcastle United unsuccessfully attempted to intercept Leeds United’s shock move for Jean-Kevin Augustin, according to reports.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein has stated within a podcast that the Magpies, as well as other Premier League clubs such as Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Brighton all made late enquiries for the RB Leipzig forward, but Leeds’ deal was reportedly too ‘advanced’ and ‘impressive’.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side have managed to pull off one of the shocks of the window as the Frenchman was confirmed as a Leeds player yesterday until the end of the season, with the club also having the option to buy him if all goes well.
“A number of clubs were interested and keen to sign him towards the end of this process, it’s worth mentioning the others, Crystal Palace had been keen in the summer, Brighton recently and also Newcastle,” Ornstein said.
Would you have liked to have signed Jean-Kevin Augustin?
Yes, he would have been a good signing
No thanks, we need someone with a better record
For Toon, they might well be kicking themselves that they didn’t strike earlier and give themselves some more reinforcements in the attacking positions.
The 22-year-old striker didn’t have the best of times while on loan at Monaco earlier this season in Ligue 1. He played in 10 league games (starting just two), registering the one assist and failing to score any goals.
With Monaco more often than not this season operating in a 3-5-2, it left the youngster’s chances pretty slim for getting a start. Both Wissam Ben Yeddar and Islam Slimani looked to be much more experienced and logical choices, and with Augustin a similar player to the former, he was always going to struggle to get game time.
Time is running out for Newcastle to find another striking option, and while Augustin is not the perfect fit for the club, he certainly would add another exciting dimension to the team.
He has scored 20 goals in 67 games for Leipzig in the past, so there’s definitely goalscoring pedigree there – and he could have helped shift some pressure off Joelinton who has struggled this campaign with just the one goal.
It’s not to be though as he has already been confirmed for the Championship side.