To make matters worse, Newcastle are still at risk of losing Alexander Isak despite rejecting Liverpool’s opening bid last week. Now, it has emerged that another painful blow could be about to strike the Magpies over the coming days.
Throughout the window, they have been linked with a potential move for Brentford forward Yoane Wissa. He is reportedly eager to make the switch and has reportedly informed the Bees of his desire to leave the club this summer.
Newcastle have already failed with a £25million bid for Wissa and it seems they could be about to face stiff competition from an unlikely rival.
Saudi heavyweights Al-Nassr are interested in signing him for themselves and would be willing to pay Brentford what they want, according to CBS Sports.
The situation is complicated because the two clubs are both owned by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. Wissa moving to Al-Nassr instead of Newcastle would, therefore, be especially contentious on Tyneside.
There are no strict limits on transfer spending in Saudi Arabia, meaning Al-Nassr would be free to flex their financial muscles. However, it remains to be seen if Wissa would be open to the idea of moving to the Gulf state.
Newcastle can offer him Champions League football but Al-Nassr would be able to propose a huge salary. If he decides to take the money, it would be another nail in the coffin for Newcastle‘s awful transfer window.
Eddie Howe remains intent on adding more top players to his squad in spite of the rejections, saying earlier this week: “We are looking at the best players we can get. We are only looking at the best we can get. I see all situations open and available to us.
“I feel that is the only way we are going to get where we want to go, which is to maximise quality over quantity. That is the way it has always been, the way we work, we try to improve, we have done it pretty well to this point.
“It has been a challenging summer. As you know, we have missed out on loads of different targets for different reasons, but we are still very competitive and we are still in there trying to bring good players to the club.”
For the latest breaking stories and headlines, sign up to our Daily Express transfer newsletter.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk