According to Sky Sports’ Keith Downie, Borussia Dortmund star Youssoufa Moukoko is highly unlikely to sign at St James’ Park this month.
We’ve been heavily linked with an ambitious move for the 18-year-old wonderkid over the past 48 hours, with the Evening Standard reporting that we’ve lodged a ‘huge bid’ worth £150,000-per-week for the soon-to-be out of contract striker.
However, Downie believes we’d have to offer him ‘regular football’ and beat off a massive amount of competition to seal a deal, adding that the signing of a striker is not high on Howe’s priority list at present.
The Sky reporter reveals that all the noises from inside the club suggest we’ll “go quite a bit bigger in the summer”, suggesting claims from Germany of a ‘€30m offer’ are wide of the mark.
Speaking on the Loaded Mag YouTube channel, here’s what Downie had to say when asked about links with the young forward:
“Amazing player. There’s a lot of interest in him, though – a lot.
“I think Newcastle would probably have to offer him regular football to start with for him to come in. I just don’t think the striker department right now with Isak and Wilson there, I’m not sure if that’s realistic at the moment.
“I think he would want to come in and play; he’s playing at Dortmund. Newcastle are obviously bringing in younger players, like I’m talking about a young right-back to come in and I think they’re trying to supplement the academy squad with young players that can come in, and he would obviously be for the first team.
“The figures are eye-watering as well, that are being talked about. From what I’m hearing from within the club, certainly not this window, he might be the sort of player maybe in the future [they bid for].
“I think the word is they’re going to try and go quite a bit bigger in the summer, but I just can’t see a deal like that happening this January.”
Moukoko would be some coup for the club, but the sort of money it would take to sign him this month – either immediately or one a pre-contract agreement – may not tie in with the club’s measured approach.
After all, are we really going to make a teenager one of the highest paid players on Tyneside?
