An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their pursuit of Alphonse Areola in the summer transfer window...
What's the talk?
According to RMC Sport live feed, via The Sun, PIF are in contact with PSG are they attempt to negotiate a deal to snap the Frenchman up ahead of West Ham.
Areola spent the 2021/22 campaign on loan to the Hammers and they are said to have an £11m option to make it permanent, but the Magpies are now in talks to usurp them.
The Sun add that the club are trying to cash in on both Karl Darlow and Freddie Woodman as they look to provide Martin Dubravka with more competition.
Eddie Howe would love him
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe would surely love the French shot-stopper at St. James' Park next season as he would be an excellent addition to his goalkeeping unit.
Despite playing second-fiddle to Lukasz Fabianski in the Premier League, he caught the eye whilst playing for the Hammers last term.
In the top-flight and in the Europa League over the last 365 days, he ranks in the 99th percentile for goals conceded and goals conceded in comparison to post-shot expected goals per 90 and this shows that his shot-stopping was amongst the best in Europe.
He also ranks in the 91st percentile for clean sheet percentage and in the 95th percentile for save percentage, showing that he was exceptional when called upon by David Moyes.
In his Fozcast podcast (5:05) with Jarrod Bowen, ex-England goalkeeper Ben Foster dubbed Areola an "absolute specimen" in terms of how he is built. His strong physique may be a factor behind his impressive displays in Europe and indicates that he has the build to excel in the Premier League against powerful strikers.
He proved this in the 2020/21 campaign as he played 36 matches in the division on loan at Fulham and averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 6.94. The gem saved 71% of the shots against him and kept nine clean sheets as he showcased his talent in the English top-flight.
Howe would, therefore, love to have him at Newcastle as he is a proven goalkeeper at the top level who will be able to come in and push Dubravka for his place. He has shown that he can perform in the Europa League and the Premier League and the head coach will know that he can trust him to deliver on a regular basis.