Newcastle United and Leeds United consider move as Ligue 1 club are ‘ready to cash in’ on World Cup star

Newcastle United, Leicester City and Leeds United have reportedly been given some encouragement in their bid to sign Morocco World Cup star Azzedine Ounahi.

The midfielder caught the eye during the Atlas Lions’ historic run to the semi-final as they became the first African country to reach the last four, before succumbing to a brave defeat against France. Despite that obvious disappointment, Ounahi’s displays have done enough to gather interest from several clubs around Europe.

As well as the Premier League trio, the midfielder has also been linked with a move to Serie A club Roma after his performances in Qatar earned major praise from Giallorossi manager Jose Mourinho. Speaking during the tournament, he told Goal when assessing the Morocco side: “They have individuals, (Yassine] Bounou was an individual during the competition and in this game was the same, [Sofyan] Amrabat, I know him from Italian football, very good player but their No.8, the young boy that plays in France in Angers, Ounahi was absolutely incredible. So, they have players, a coach and an incredible spirit.”

Any interested clubs may now have been given a route into securing a deal for Ounahi after GiveMeSport revealed Angers are willing to ‘cash in’ on the midfielder following his impressive run of form at the tournament. The report also claims the Ligue 1 club ‘know they have a gem’ in the 22-year-old and ‘would prefer he sticks the season out with them’, meaning a sizable offer would be required.

Leicester City have been credited with an interest in the piece and there are suggestions they would allow Youri Tielemans to depart if they can beat the likes of Newcastle, Leeds and Roma to Ounahi’s signature.