Newcastle United are not close to a deal for PSG defender Stanley N’Soki, according to the Chronicle.
It was reported by French outlet RMC, via Get French Football News, that the Magpies had agreed a deal for the 20-year-old, but the latest offering from the north east newspaper disputes this claim.
Instead, the Frenchman has been named his current club’s squad for tomorrow’s friendly against Sydney FC in the International Super Cup, meaning that unless there is some kind of breakthrough 24 hours, he is likely to be in contention to feature for the Champions League side out in China.
OPINION
This obviously isn’t great news for the Toon Army, but at the same time, it’s not the end of the world. Just because a deal isn’t as close as initially thought doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to happen at some point, and even if N’Soki does play in China, there should still be plenty of time to get a transfer wrapped up when he returns. The Magpies desperately need some more depth at left-back, and on the face of it, the young Frenchman could be a great solution. He has potential aplenty, and wonderful pedigree given that he plays for one of the best sides on the continent. N’Soki himself didn’t feature too regularly last term for PSG, but when he did, he more than held his own. A pass completion rate of 86.9%, as well as managing 1.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game, as per Whoscored, clearly show that he is a player with a lot of promise, and if the Magpies just bide their time and keep pushing with the interest, they could be on to a real winner.
