OPINION
Newcastle United are surely abandoning any plans they had to sign Stade Rennais attacker Ismaila Sarr after he was reported the French had slapped a £44.5million price tag on him.
L’Equipe previously reported that the Magpies had the Senegalese winger in their sights and that they could soon put together an offer for him.
While the French newspaper claiming that Watford had seen a £26.9million (€30million) bid for Sarr rejected was enough to make you sceptical that the Magpies were going to make a move, the latest report on his valuation surely means Newcastle have no hope of signing him.
Le10 Sport reported on Thursday that Rennes had set Sarr’s price tag at an eye-watering £44.5million (€50million) and claimed the French club would likely not lower the price tag below £35.6million (€50million).
With that in mind, Newcastle are surely swiftly abandoning their pursuit of the 21-year-old attacker as his price tag is enough to see them running to the hills.
The most the Magpies have ever spent on a player is £20million (Source: BBC), which they invested in Miguel Almiron in January, and signing Sarr would potentially cost nearly double that.
In fact the minimum price Rennes are thought to be willing to sell at, is under £5million off being literally double Almiron’s price tag.
With no takeover having occurred as yet, meaning Mike Ashley’s reign is still in effect, it’s hard to see Sarr being in the Magpies’ budget.
When you consider that Sky Sports reported that the Magpies ended up in the black with a net spend of £21million in last summer’s transfer window, unless they have a player they could see for above £44.5million, would they take a hit on signing a player in Sarr’s price range?
It’d be uncharacteristic to say the least.
Sarr may have scored 13 goals and assisted 11 in his 50 outings and would have boosted the Magpies’ attacking threat due to his tendency to dribble at his opponents, he averaged 1.8 dribbles per game in his 2018/19 season (Source:WhoScored), but his price tag surely has eyes watering at St James Park and Newcastle scrambling for other targets.
