A big claim has been made on Newcastle United and their transfer plans...

What's the talk?

Journalist Santi Aouna, along with fellow reporter Dahbia Hattabi, has revealed two players that the club are looking to snap up at the end of the season as PIF attempt to bolster Eddie Howe's Premier League squad.

Aouna Tweeted: "Info with @DahbiaHattabi: Newcastle wants to recruit two French people next summer: Benoît Badiashile, whose price set by Monaco is around €40m. Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen."

St James' supporters will be delighted

The St. James' Park faithful will surely be delighted with this news as both players would be fantastic additions to Eddie Howe's squad.

Badiashile is worth roughly £34m - according to Aouna - and Diaby is reportedly valued at £75m by his current club Bayer Leverkusen. This means that the pair could cost as much as £109m to sign this summer, although PIF could work their magic and negotiate more favourable deals to make them both viable targets instead of potentially obliterating the budget on two players.

Diaby, 22, has been sublime in the Bundesliga this season and would add an extra level of attacking threat to Howe's team. He has produced 12 goals and nine assists in the division as he has been able to show that he can consistently deliver at the top end of the pitch.

Meanwhile, Newcastle's top scorer in the Premier League has six goals and their top assister has set up four strikes so far. The Frenchman would, therefore, be an upgrade on what Howe currently has to work with in terms of scoring and creating goals.

Badiashile would also be a top signing as he would bolster the centre-back options at the club. The 21-year-old has averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.91 across 20 appearances in Ligue 1 as he has shown that he can put in excellent displays on a regular basis despite his young age.

His experience, and performances, at this stage in his career also suggest that he has the scope to develop further and improve as a player in the years to come. This means that Newcastle would be signing a player with potential as well as someone who can make an impact in the immediate future, which is also the case with 22-year-old Diaby.

Therefore, the supporters will be delighted with the club's interest in both of these players and they will surely be hoping that PIF can get both of them over the line.

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