OPINION
An exit from the club for Newcastle defender Florian Lejeune is surely on the cards after a report suggested that talks were planned over his future on Tyneside.
According to Estadio Deportivo, Sevilla sporting director Monchi is to travel to England to hold discussions with the Magpies about the possibility of signing the centre-back.
The report adds that Monchi has been keen on Lejeune for two successive seasons, and tried hard to sign the Frenchman last summer.
If this report is true, then there is every possibility that Lejeune could leave St James’ Park this summer.
He had a torrid season for Newcastle and was out for the first 21 matches of the Premier League season. 20 of those were due to a serious knee injury and in the final game, he was an unused substitute against Manchester United on January 2.
Lejeune then came into the side and looked solid for 11 games. He kept three clean sheets in that time and was part of the side that defeated reigning champions Manchester City 2-1 at the end of January.
But then the defender suffered another serious knee injury at the start of April, which kept him out until the end of the season. His return date is still not known, but one thing is for sure: it will have raised concerns that Lejeune is now injury-prone.
While Lejeune was part of the side, he was a very good part of it and he fitted in very well. But overall, Jamaal Lascelles was the dominant force at the back for the Magpies and the Englishman would be the favoured man in that position.
That means that if these reported talks are indeed planned and do go ahead, then Newcastle may think about offloading Lejeune to Sevilla while they have the chance.
Nothing is concrete yet; the talks may not even go ahead. But if they do, it is clear that Lejeune could now be classed as injury-prone, and that might set alarm bells ringing in the Newcastle hierarchy’s heads.
