Newcastle United could take advantage of ‘mega upheaval’ to land £50m-rated top transfer target

A ‘crisis’ at Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen could hand Newcastle United an opportunity to land highly-rated winger Moussa Diaby.

The former Paris Saint-Germain youngster was believed to be one of the Magpies main targets during the summer transfer window and there was speculation over a possible club record deal to bring the France international to Tyneside.

However, Bayer resisted all attempts to progress with a deal and the 23-year-old remained in Germany as his side embarked on a Champions League adventure after ending last season in third place in the Bundesliga, with only Borussia Dortmund and champions Bayern Munich bettering their total of 64 points.

The current campaign has failed to match the heights of its predecessor and Leverkusen sit in tenth place ahead of Saturday’s visit to struggling Hoffenheim. Their Champions League campaign and participation in European competition is already over after they finished bottom of a group containing Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge and FC Porto during the first half of the season.

Despite his side’s inability to find consistency, Diaby has been in impressive form once again and he has scored eight goals and provided five assists in 26 appearances in all competitions during the season.

Reflecting on their form, German outlet ‘Bild’ have claimed Bayer are enduring a crisis and that could lead to ‘mega upheaval’ in their squad over the summer, with several high-profile departures being touted. Speaking to rival publication ‘Kicker’, director Simon Rolfes said: "It will be a different summer than the last one. There will be much more movement just because of the contract terms."

The likes of Daley Sinkgraven, Andrey Lunev and and Chelsea loanee Callum Hudson-Odoi are all placed under question and Diaby’s own future could be up for consideration if the likes of Newcastle and Arsenal follow up their interest in the winger.