Newcastle chief Dan Ashworth learns £50m asking price to land priority signing

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Newcastle United have been warned they will have to break their transfer record in order to sign Moussa Diaby this summer. Eddie Howe is keen on the Bayer Leverkusen star, but the Magpies will have to splash in excess of £50 million to land the France international.

Diaby is also attracting attention from Paris Saint-Germain, having left the Ligue 1 champions to join Leverkusen in 2019. The 22-year-old enjoyed a stunning season last term, racking up 17 goals and 14 assists as Gerardo Seoane’s side finished third in the Bundesliga.

Diaby is contracted to Leverkusen until 2025, but that has not stopped speculation mounting over a potential switch this summer. The Sun report recently appointed sporting director Dan Ashworth has suggested the winger as a possible target despite this lofty price tag.

Any deal for Diaby would represent a sizable chunk of Newcastle’s budget for the summer window. Sven Botman and Hugo Ekitike continue to be linked, with the Magpies making their initial approaches for the Ligue 1 stars earlier this year.

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Newcastle spent in excess of £90m in the January transfer window as Howe’s side remarkably secured a mid-table finish having won just one match all season prior to Christmas. Dan Burn, Bruno Guimaraes, loanee Matt Targett, Kieran Trippier, and Chris Wood all made an immediate impact as the Magpies became one of the division’s form sides.

The Magpies have already made the deal for Targett permanent, and are in the market for attacking reinforcements. Diaby was quizzed about his future earlier this month while on international duty for the Nations League.

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The versatile forward told reporters: “It’s nice to hear my name being linked to big clubs, but I’m focused on getting together to do good things here. Then we will see what happens but, right now, I’m not thinking about it too much.”

Leverkusen have already confirmed the arrival of Czech Republic wonderkid Adam Hzolek, and the club’s sporting director Simon Rolfes issued a hands-off warning to any clubs interested in Diaby earlier this month. The former German international said: “We want to keep Moussa for as long as possible.

“We do not have any offers but we are not even looking for that. We would like to keep him and play with him next year in the Champions League.”

Ashworth was finally confirmed as Newcastle’s sporting director this month, having previously impressed in roles with Brighton, England, and West Brom. The report claims the Magpies will also consider moves for Ismaila Sarr and Leandro Trossard if a deal for Diaby can not be agreed.

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