A major Newcastle United transfer claim has been made over their chances to sign Ousmane Dembele...
What's the talk?
According to AS, sources close to Barcelona have claimed that he is closing in on a transfer to PSG and is 'guaranteed' to sign a contract with the French giants this summer.
His deal with the La Liga outfit expires at the end of the current campaign and he is now set to leave for £0, with the Magpies being one of the teams linked with a swoop to snap him up for nothing.
Shocker
PIF are heading for a major shocker over Dembele as missing out on being able to sign him on a free transfer would be a huge blow.
The France international would be a sensational signing for Eddie Howe's team and the Saudi Arabian consortium must attempt to hijack this move by convincing him to make the switch to the Premier League. He has been in sensational form of late for Xavi's side and is showing the kind of form that would make him a fan favourite at St. James' Park.
In La Liga this season, he has averaged an incredible SofaScore rating of 7.62. He has produced a stunning ten direct goal contributions in 12 appearances for the club, scoring once and providing nine assists from the right wing.
His former teammate Lionel Messi previously called him a "phenomenon" and Barcelona club president Joan Laporta once claimed "he is better than Mbappe" - highlighting how highly he is rated by people who have seen him up close in the flesh on a regular basis.
His form in the Spanish top-flight shows that he is starting to live up to the hype around his hype as he has been a consistent creative threat for the Catalan giants. He has created 2.3 chances per game in La Liga and provided his teammates with eight 'big chances', despite only starting eight matches.
The forward is also still in the early parts of his career, at the age of 24, and has the potential to continually improve over time. Therefore, PIF are set to miss out on a gem who can make a huge impact in the short term and a player they could potentially sell on for a huge profit in the future, which is why this looks set to be a big shocker from the owners in the summer.
AND in other news, Sold for £30m, now worth £13.5m: Ashley played a blinder for NUFC over £83k-p/w flop...