Newcastle United have been given the clearest indication yet regarding the future of current transfer target Moussa Diaby. The 22-year-old is known to be someone the Magpies are keen on recruiting, with his current price tag set at around £50m.
The French international enjoyed another strong season with Bayer Leverkusen last season, netting 17 goals as well as laying on a further 14 assists, as Gerardo Seoane's side ensured qualification for the UEFA Champions League group stages. Departing Ligue 1 giants PSG back in 2019 for £13m, the forward has certainly found a home in Germany, beginning to flourish at the BayArena.
Now, with the player said to be keen on a salary increase heading into the 22/23 campaign, Leverkusen director of sport Simon Rolfes has confirmed there is no plans for the player to depart this summer.
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Rolfes told Express Sport: "No, no. For sure we want to keep Moussa for as long as possible. I know a lot of scouts have been sitting on our tribune during our matches because we have a lot of interesting, exciting young players with high potential.
"It is always the same, we do not have any offers for him but we are not looking for that at the moment. We would like to keep him and for him to play with us next season in the Champions League."
The Magpies will be hoping now to kick on heading into Eddie Howe's first full season as boss, with the ilk of player they are now trying to attract perhaps already accustomed to European football, surely the next big aim for United's ambitious new owners too.v
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