NICE winger Allan Saint-Maximim is on Tyneside to complete a £17m move to Newcastle United and he could soon be followed by more.
After the Magpies’ managing director Lee Charnley travelled to France to finalise the deal with Nice, Saint-Maximin has now flown over to the North-East to sign a six-year deal.
After weeks of negotiating and a knowledge of what it was likely to take to land their man, Newcastle have effectively suceeeded – and the hope now is that more will follow, including Dutch full-back Jetro Willems.
Having had bids for Saint-Maximim knocked back, a broad agreement was reached with Nice on how the deal will be structured. The French club expect to receive further cash in bonuses that could lift the deal to around the £20m mark.
Saint-Maximim agreed the terms of his six-year deal before travelling over to have a look around the club’s facilities and he has undergone a medical.
Newcastle boss Steve Bruce confirmed the club’s interest in Saint-Maximin last week and he will follow £40m man Joelinton to St James’ Park.
Bruce is also hoping for more, although a deal with Paris St Germain for defender Stanley N’Soki is still proving more difficult.
However, those discussions have opened the door for Newcastle to close in on another PSG defender, teenager Moussa Sissako.
The 18-year-old has been told he can leave the French champions and Newcastle have held talks with his representatives over a £2m deal.
Newcastle are also close to striking an agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt for a loan deal that will see Willems head across the North Sea on loan.
The Dutchman was on the club’s radar in 2016 only to head to Germany instead from PSV Eindhoven.
He is wanted to provide competition for Paul Dummett down the left-hand side, while Matt Ritchie has also been operating as a wing-back but has suffered a hamstring problem.
Saint-Maximim is expected to watch Newcastle in action at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon when St Etienne provide the opposition for the final friendly of the summer.
The game will also be the first home game for Bruce to take charge of since succeeding Rafa Benitez, and all eyes will be on the reception he receives from the Newcastle supporters.
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