According to reports in France, Newcastle have made an enquiry over the potential signing of Giannelli Imbula – the £18m Stoke flop who has just enjoyed a successful loan spell with Toulouse.
French outlet RMC claim that the midfielder is set to leave Stoke after their relegation. They state that his entourage have now received approaches from both ourselves and Crystal Palace, whilst fellow French outlet ‘SFR Sport’ reckon we’ve been scouting him ‘extensively’ over the past year.
Imbula arrived at Stoke for a whopping £18m in January 2016, however the ex-Porto midfielder is yet to make his mark in England, making just 12 Premier League appearances.
Here’s what GFFN have had to say about our alleged interest in the 25-year-old:
“After a season-long loan spell with Toulouse, French central midfielder Giannelli Imbula will almost certainly leave Championship side Stoke City this summer, according to RMC.
Crystal Palace and Newcastle have recently contacted the player’s entourage about whether he would be interested in a move or not.
It sounds like Imbula has impressed during his season in France with Toulouse, but his inability to impress during his first season in England is a concern.
He’s only 25 and may be seen as a defensive midfield option to compete with Mo Diame (who’s now 31), however I can only see this being possible if Stoke are ready to take a big loss on him.
