“I am told..": Journalist drops huge Newcastle transfer update, it’s bad news for Howe - opinion

Newcastle United have reportedly been dealt a blow in their efforts to sign Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby this summer.

In a recent post on Twitter, journalist Patrick Berger shed some light on the current situation surrounding the Magpies’ attempts to sign the winger.

He said: “Moussa Diaby is the top target for Newcastle United. #NUFC set to pay €35-40m for the Frenchman. Leverkusen demanding way more than €60m. I am told [the] player is open for a move but has no intention to go to Newcastle. The winger is also on the list of Paris Saint-Germain.”

It was reported in May that the Toon were interested in bringing the Frenchman to St James’ Park ahead of their next Premier League campaign.

After working his way through PSG’s youth ranks, the attacker made his move to Germany in the summer of 2019.

Since then, the 22-year-old has gone on to make 124 appearances for the Bundesliga club across all competitions. In that time, Diaby has found the net 35 times and delivered 37 assists along the way.

Across 40 appearances throughout the 2021/22 season with Leverkusen across the Bundesliga and Europa League, the winger scored 17 goals and supplied 14 assists, highlighting his importance to the team.

To further highlight his attacking talent, in his 32 league games last term, the former PSG youngster racked up more successful dribbles (50) and more shot-creating actions (103) than any other Leverkusen player.

Taking all this into account, it would surely be bad news for Eddie Howe to hear that Diaby has no intention of moving to St James’ Park this summer.

Given the 22-year-old’s clear attacking talent, it’s easy to argue that he would be an exciting signing for the Toon and give them an extra dynamic at the top of the