Newcastle "interested" in signing "explosive" £15m gem, he could be Bowen-esque - opinion

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their pursuit of Bamba Dieng in the summer transfer window… 

GOAL France journalist Mark Mechenoua has revealed that the Magpies are one of a number of teams still showing an interest in the attacker.

He Tweeted: “In addition to Nice, which is in talks with OM but has not sent any offers, Brighton, Newcastle and Freiburg are among the clubs still interested in Bamba Dieng. No concrete offer to date.”

It has been reported that a fee in the region of £15m would be enough to land him, although it remains to be seen how much PIF are willing to part ways with for his services.

Bowen played a crucial role in West Ham’s rise to finish seventh in the Premier League, securing their place in the Europa League qualifying stage.

The 25-year-old was the go-to man in the final third as he racked up an impressive 12 goals and ten assists in 36 top-flight outings – finishing top in the Hammers’ team in both categories.

He created nine ‘big chances’ for his teammates and provided 1.2 key passes per match as he coupled a goalscoring threat with creativity.

In Dieng, the Magpies could find their own version of Bowen in the sense that he is a forward who can play anywhere across the front three and has the potential to step in and be the player who scores and create goals.

He is not the finished product, at the age of 22, but he is three years younger than the West Ham man and has time on his side to develop into a star for the Toon.

In Ligue 1 last season, the Senegal international scored seven goals and created four ‘big chances’ for his teammates in 11 starts for Marseille.

The forward, who was once dubbed “explosive“ by former boss Jorge Sampaoli, ranks in the 99th percentile in Europe’s top