Newcastle United urged to make £30m move for former Manchester City midfielder

Newcastle United have been named as one club that would ‘surely be interested’ in Lens midfielder Seko Fofana if he opts to leave the Ligue 1 club at the end of the season.

The former Manchester City academy star made his first venture into senior football with loan spells at Fulham and Bastia before securing a permanent £2.5m move to Serie A club Udinese in 2016. Fofana caught the eye of several clubs by producing a consistent level of performances during his four-year stay in Italy and it was Lens that won the race for his signature in August 2020.

The 27-year-old has become a key figure within the Lens side as they ended his first season with the club in seventh place in Ligue 1. They ended last season just outside of the European places but have vastly improved this season with just one defeat in their opening 15 games to end the first half of the season sat in second place.

Hopes of securing a Champions League spot are high but Ligue 1 journalist Robin Bairner believes Newcastle will make a move for the Ivory Coast midfielder if his side fail to secure a place in next season’s Champions League - but conceded a whole host of Premier League clubs would be willing to provide competition for Fofana’s signature.

He told GiveMeSports: “If Lens make the Champions League this year, for example, you could see a player like Seko Fofana staying there, simply because of this bond that they’ve got. If they don’t make the top three, then again, potentially next summer, this could be a move that happens. Fofana is a player who has all the attributes to play in England, and Newcastle would surely be interested. But I imagine he is a player that most teams in England would be interested in, given what he’s produced. But again, it’s a case of whether Lens can keep up with his ambitions.”

Fofana will not return to action until Lens visit Nice on the final Thursday of December.