Mike Ashley to sanction £5m move regardless of Saudi takeover saga - Report

According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle are now 'hopeful' of bringing Mario Lemina to St James' Park his summer.

The report states that the club are willing to offer around £5m pounds for the Southampton midfielder, stating that the ongoing takeover Saudi saga and the legal battle that hangs over will not impact the club's move the 27-year-old.

Lemina - who spent last season on loan with recently relegated Fulham - has been linked with a move to Tyneside on several occasions in recent months, with The Guardian revealing back in April that we'd spoken to the players representatives now he's entering the final 12 of his deal at St Mary's.

The Chronicle also backed up these claims, stating that head of recruitment Steve Nickson had carried out his own personal scouting missions to watch the Gabon international back in May.

Here's a snippet from the Daily Mail's latest piece, which also reveals that we're battling Lille to sign William Saliba on loan from Arsenal:

'Newcastle remain hopeful they can prise Mario Lemina away from Southampton.

'The Gabon international has one year left on his contract and Newcastle are willing to offer around £5million regardless of the fact owner Mike Ashley is continuing talks over the club's pending sale and takeover.'

It's been a slow start to the summer window, with many believing any deals are on hold until Mike Ashley's legal battle against the Premier League is settled.

With that in mind, it's interesting that Simon Jones' piece claims we are prepared to make a £5m bid for Lemina regardless of whether new owners arrive or not.

The Guardian reported back in April that Southampton would sell if an offer of £7m arrived this summer, so it'll be interesting to see what happens if we go in £2m short of their alleged asking price.

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