Newcastle United will need to pay £20million to secure the signing of Nice winger Allan Saint-Maximin, according to journalist Lee Ryder.
The Chronicle writer went on to claim that Steve Bruce is desperate to make his second signing after the club-record arrival of Joelinton on Tuesday.
Ryder revealed on his personal Twitter account on Wednesday afternoon, that a deal is there for the Magpies to sign Saint-Maximin, who is a player they watched last season.
The Chronicle confirmed that the 22-year-old is a player that has been scouted extensively by Newcastle scouts in the previous season and the club refused to shut down rumours linking them with the Frenchman.
OPINION
Newcastle have finally kicked themselves into gear in the transfer window, and if the club-record signing of Joelinton wasn’t enough, should Saint-Maximin arrive at St James’ Park for £20million before the weekend, surely the fans wouldn’t be able to contain their delight. With Bruce reportedly desperate to bring another face through the door, and the Chronicle adding a deal may be done before the weekend, it would come as no surprise should it be Saint-Maximin, especially now that the Magpies know what it will take to secure him. The French youth international would be a great addition to the side, with many years ahead of him to keep improving. Newcastle would no doubt want the 22-year-old to improve on his six goals and three assists last season, but his skill is clearly there to smash those targets. The young flyer is known for his dribbling and would bring a great threat in the final third at St James’ Park, having averaged an impressive 4.2 dribbles per game. Saint-Maximin didn’t score or assist many last season, but the proof is there to show that that could easily change, with the youngster also averaging 2.2 shots on goal and 1.7 key passes in each outing [Source: WhoScored]. For £20million, Bruce must not hesitate to sanction a deal for Saint-Maximin who has all the right attributes to become a star in the Premier League in the coming years.
