Newcastle United set to make ‘concrete’ move for ‘extraordinary’ Ligue 1 winger

Newcastle United are preparing a move for Rennes’ highly-rated winger Kamaldeen Sulemana - according to reports in France.

The Magpies’ desire to add a winger to their squad has been well-documented over the last month with the likes of Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes, Burnley forward Maxwel Cornet and Leeds United star Jack Harrison both linked with a move to Tyneside.

The top two tiers of French football have also provided a stream of reported transfer targets after Nice forward Amine Gouiri and Sochaux youngster Alan Virginius said to be on the Magpies radar.

The only confirmed forward target from France came with the prolonged bid to sign Reims star Hugo Ekitike, who rejected an offer to join Newcastle and has since moved on loan to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Magpies recruitment staff have been regular visitors to Ligue 1 stadiums over the last year and there had been reports Ghana winger Sulemana had caught their eye over the second half of the season.

Previously linked with Manchester United and Liverpool, the 20-year-old was described as ‘extraordinary’ by Nordsjaelland manager Flemming Pedersen prior to the winger’s departure to join Rennes in a £13.5million move last summer.

He told TV3: “(Manchester) United, Liverpool and others are in the race.  

“And with the personality and mentality he has, I will never say it will be too big a leap, for he is extraordinary.

“We are talking about a player with potential on a par with Neymar, and maybe even more than that, because he’s even faster.” 

French outlet L’Equipe have now reported Newcastle are ready to make a move for Sulemana but will find resistance from the Ligue 1 club, who are said to be determined to hold on to the youngster as they prepare to enter the Europa League at the group stage this season.