Premier League duo Newcastle United and Southampton are interested in signing French midfielder William Vainqueur according to the Sun.
Having already purchased Mathieu Debuchy this month and Loic Remy set to follow from Marseille, it looks as though Newcastle are looking to make it a trio of Frenchman with Vainqueur.
24-year-old Vainqueur currently plays in the Belgian league for Standard Liege, having signed from Nantes in 2011.
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The 5ft 10in midfielder is a ball-winner in the mould of Cheik Tiote and would provide some depth to Newcastle’s worryingly thin squad.
Rated in the region of £2.5 million, Vainqueur is under contract until 2016 but has fallen out of favour in Liege.
Standard coach Mircea Rednic has said that: “I’ve told Vainqueur he needs to take more responsibility.”
Previously a France U21 international, Vainqueur was also linked with Fulham earlier this season and has the aggression and stamina that would suit the Premier League.
It would appear that Vainqueur would be an alternative to Moussa Sissoko and Yann M’Villa and would be considerably cheaper than the latter.
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