Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli have agreed a fee with Newcastle United for the signing of French winger Allan Saint-Maximin if rumours in France are to be believed.
According to RMC Sport, The Middle Eastern outfit have a broad agreement with Eddie Howe’s team for the transfer of the winger with a €25 million (£21 million) plus add-ons deal being agreed between the two parties. Both clubs are funded by Saudi Arabia’s PIF (Public Investment Fund).
The Frenchman will earn more than €12 million (£10 million) a season in the Saudi Pro League. The player has now, according to the same report, got to decide whether to make the move and the newspaper claims he is leaning towards agreeing to the switch where he will link up with former Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino and former Chelsea goalkeeper Eduoard Mendy.
Napoli talks ‘won’t progress’
The same report states that Serie A champions Napoli sought to schedule a meeting with the 26-year-old winger as the club’s new manager, Rudi Garcia, was reportedly desperate to put together a dangerous front three of Saint-Maximin, Victor Osimhen, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The objective for the new season is to try and retain the Serie A title and maybe even make another push for European glory, after reaching the quarter-final of the Champions League last season. The hope was that the French winger could be crucial for that push but the player, according to the RMC report, doesn’t seem too interested in the idea of playing in Italy.
The sale of the French winger may accelerate Newcastle’s move for their ideal replacement. According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle hope the impending sale of the French winger will free up some funds to purchase their top target, Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes. The EFL Championship side are said to be demanding £35 million for the sale of Barnes.
Eddie Howe has admitted that Newcastle wouldn’t be able to make further signings without a sale or two. The English manager was speaking following the Magpies’ 2-1 win against Rangers in pre-season.
“With Financial Fair Play, you sort of have to trade,” the former Bournemouth manager said. Otherwise, for us, this summer, we would be stuck in a position where we couldn’t recruit players the other way. That’s how Financial Fair Play works and we understand that”.
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