Newcastle United 'add' to transfer plan as Aston Villa talk swirls

Newcastle United are reportedly preparing to sell winger Allan Saint-Maximin by adding Brighton and Hove Albion winger Leandro Trossard to their transfer shortlist.

Saint-Maximin has been linked with a move to Aston Villa when the summer transfer window opens with the Magpies reportedly open to sell the Frenchman if they receive a suitable offer. And they are said to be putting those plans in place by identifying potential wingers who could replace him with the Daily Mail claiming Trossard is on a shortlist of targets.

Alongside the Belgian are Nottingham Forest and Bayer Leverkusen stars Brennan Johnson and Moussa Diaby, the latter also mentioned as a potential Villa target. Trossard is said to be keen on a move away from Brighton and the £15 million 2019 signing from Belgian side Genk will enter the final year of his contract at the end of the season.

He has netted five times and created one goal for his team-mates in 29 appearances this season, his most recent strike coming in a shock 2-1 win at Arsenal on Saturday. As far as Villa are concerned Steven Gerrard's side are well stocked in terms of wingers with Leon Bailey, Emiliano Buendia, Philippe Coutinho, Bertrand Traore, Anwar El Ghazi and Trezeguet all on the club's books.

However, El Ghazi and Trezeguet are both on loan at Everton and Istanbul Basaksehir respectively and are expected to leave the club in the summer. Traore has only managed 91 minutes of football since the turn of the year while Bailey's maiden season in the Premier League has been blighted by injury.

Villa could move for Saint-Maximin although any price tag will likely be prohibitive as Newcastle are expected to command a big fee for a player contracted to the club until 2026. He is a key