Newcastle United continue to be linked with a move for Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby. ChronicleLive understands the Magpies would have to shatter their £40million transfer record to lure the 22-year-old to St James’ Park following a stellar campaign in the Bundesliga.
A summer of excitement is inevitable on Tyneside as Toon chiefs have their first opportunity to splash the cash - free from the ramifications of relegation. Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are also reportedly keen on Diaby - highlighting the pool Newcastle are now swimming in when it comes to transfer activity.
ChronicleLive has profiled the winger to analyse what supporters can expect if the forward ends up wearing black and white next season…
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Background
Born in Paris and of Malian descent, Diaby is a product of the PSG youth system and made his debut for his hometown club in 2018 at 19-years-old. He has represented France at every level since U18 and has earned five senior side caps since making his debut last year.
A lack of first-team football - mainly due to the presence of superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe - forced the youngster to change tack and sign for Bayer Leverkusen in 2019.
Playing style
The 22-year-old’s playing style is best described as a blend between Arsenal prodigy Bukayo Saka and Newcastle maverick Allan Saint-Maximin. He is a left-footed, direct wide-man who operates on the right flank and likes to maintain his team’s offensive width.
Out of every U23 player in Europe, only Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior has scored more goals (17) than Diaby (13). His heroics this campaign saw him make 31 goal contributions in 43 outings. For context, Saint-Maximin made the most for Newcastle this season with 10.
Achievements
His only professional season for PSG saw him make 25 appearances as the French giants clinched the Ligue 1 title. He also played a bit-part role as France clinched the UEFA Nations League last summer but was named in the Team of the Tournament following the U19 European Championship four years ago.
Since joining Leverkusen, he has forged a formidable partnership with Patrik Schick to help clinch a third-place finish and secure Champions League football. At 22-years-old, the best years of his career are still to come.
Where would he fit in?
Newcastle are possibly one quality winger short, with Saint-Maximin and Ryan Fraser the two standout performers. Miguel Almiron may be off this summer and Jacob Murphy is regarded as a utility player due to his credentials at right-back.
Eddie Howe has adopted a 4-3-3 formation for most of his stint as Toon boss and the thought of two mercurial French wingers terrorising Premier League defences is mouthwatering. A three-pronged attack of Saint-Maximin, Diaby and Wilson would get fans off their seats and excitement could heighten further if another striker arrives.
Admittedly, Diaby is not known for his defensive work rate so it would be interesting to see how Howe tinkers with his system should Diaby sign.
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