Newcastle United learn asking price for Randal Kolo Muani as talks progress for Brentford striker
It's all go right now as Newcastle United close in on a new striker after several frustrating setbacks this summer already.
The Magpies have already missed out on three top striker targets in Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike. Four if you include Jonathan David, which we don't because it hurts too much (and we were never really in for him).
Newcastle appear to have completely changed tack now as they have opened negotiations with Brentford over a deal for 28-year-old Yoane Wissa.
Wissa has improved massively over his time at Brentford, but his age makes him a transfer anomaly at Newcastle, with Eddie Howe often preferring to recruit players 24 and under. With the obvious exceptions of Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn and Chris Wood, who all arrived in Howe's first transfer window when the task at hand was much, much different to now.
Newcastle bid £25m for £50m-rated Yoane Wissa who is expected to move for £40m this summer - that's what we're dealing with this summer
Brentford value Wissa at £50 million and are reluctant to sell, but the player seems to be pushing for a move. It's expected that a £40 million bid would be enough to get things moving, so Newcastle made a £25 million bid yesterday, because of course they did.
Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur are both keen on Wissa too, so Newcastle don't really have the luxury of time to deploy their usual transfer games, or they will find themselves with another missed target on their hands.
That being said, there are other options on the table for Newcastle right now, one of which is Paris Saint-Germain misfit Randal Kolo Muani, who arrived at the Parc des Princes for £76 million just two years ago and has struggled to nail down a regular spot, spending the second half of last season on loan at Juventus.
Randal Kolo Muani may not be as costly as we were expecting
PSG have been trying to ship out Kolo Muani for a while now, and Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport claims that the French international could be available for just £39 million. The report does also tout him as a replacement for Alexander Isak and says that Newcastle are 'resigned' to losing the Swede, so pinch of salt and all that.
If the valuation is true, though, that puts him right alongside Yoane Wissa in terms of cost, and given that he's a couple of years younger, he could be worth the punt. However, Wissa's Premier League-proven record may just keep him ahead of Kolo Muani.
At least we know that we have options, and we may not have to break the bank to bag one. Which would you take at the Toon for £40m?
