L’Equipe: Newcastle back in for striker Rafa Benitez tried to get Mike Ashley to sign in 2018

Back in July 2018, both The Chronicle and Sky Sports announced that Newcastle United had submitted a £20m bid for Alassane Plea.

It was rejected and, in the end, the Frenchman ended up joining Borussia Monchengladbach for £22m – suggesting Mike Ashley had refused to pay the extra £2m needed to bring Rafa Benitez’s top striker target to Tyneside.

Now, three and a half years on, L’Equipe are reporting that we have ‘sounded out’ another move for the 28-year-old, claiming that Monchengladbach are prepared to cash in this month as he approaches the final 12 months of his current deal in Germany.

Interestingly, the same piece also states that we have ‘taken information from Allan Saint- Maximin’ – a friend of Plea’s and someone he knows well from their time together at Nice.

His record with Borussia Monchengladbach is a fairly impressive one, seeing him be involved in 61 goals (40 goals and 21 assists) in 127 appearances for the club, however he’s lost his place in their starting 11 in recent weeks.

He may be a few years older and hasn’t exactly been prolific this season, managing three goals and an assist in 10 starts so far, however he’s clearly a player we know very well and could be a handy option to have while Wilson remains out?

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *