Newcastle United’s summer recruitment has placed a clear emphasis on signing emerging talents from across Europe, and the Magpies could be attempting to add yet another teenager to the organization before the transfer window closes.
Fellow youngsters Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba have already arrived to strengthen the midfield of a future Newcastle, while the Magpies are simultaneously working on deals for more established options such as Manchester City’s Nico Gonzalez and Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall.
The latest development, however, points toward another move for the future. According to Spor Depor’s Reşat Can Özbudak, Newcastle has begun negotiations to sign Gençlerbirliği defensive midfielder Ousmane Diabate.
“Newcastle United has started talks for the transfer of Ousmane Diabate, who wears the Gençlerbirliği jersey!” Özbudak reported.
On Wednesday, the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope reported the deal is, in fact, nearing an agreement.
“Newcastle are close to a deal for Ousmane Diabate,” Hope reported. “The 18-yr-old midfielder will stay on loan at Turkish side Gençlerbirliği. A lot of competition from across Europe for the signature of Guinea international.“
These two developments represent a step beyond the initial report from Fotospor that indicated there’s interest in Diabate from several other Premier League clubs.
The 18-year-old only joined Gençlerbirliği earlier this year after developing with Guinean side Académie SOAR, but his rapid progress in Turkey has already attracted attention from England. As of this writing, his market value is a paltry €1 million.
According to reports coming from Türkiye, Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford are also “seriously interested” in Diabate, while Fenerbahce has monitored the Guinea international as well.
Diabate made his senior international debut for Guinea in June and has quickly established himself at club level despite his age. Most recently, the 6-foot-1 midfielder started Gençlerbirliği’s 2-1 victory over Fenerbahce in its opening game of the new Super Lig campaign.
Regarding the potential financial considerations involved in a transfer for Diabate, without regard for his more than limited senior experience, Fotospor reported that Académie SOAR allowed him to join Gençlerbirliği without a transfer fee but retained a 40% sell-on clause.
According to reports, that arrangement has put Gençlerbirliği in a position to seek a substantial return from any sale, although no specific asking price has been revealed, neither by the Turkish outlets nor Hope. Diabate remains under contract for another three years, and his market value and lack of pro experience don’t make him look like someone you’d paid more than a couple million for at this point, but we’ll see where this ends.
Would you keep investing in young midfielders for the future like Diabate, or should Newcastle move on and finally focus exclusively on signing an established cornerstone for Jaissle’s team? Share your thoughts below.
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