Yoane Wissa responds to Tottenham Hotspur interest after £40m Newcastle United bid
Newcastle United have had an offer worth £40million turned down by Brentford for Yoane Wissa.
Yoane Wissa has reportedly told Brentford that he only wants to join Newcastle United this summer.
The Wissa saga has taken a fresh turn in the last 24 hours, with the Magpies seeing an improved £40million bid rejected by Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur showing interest.
Wissa has been pushing to leave the Bees since leaving their pre-season training camp in Portugal last month, where, after returning to London, he refused to train for an initial period.
The 28-year-old has since returned to team training but wasn’t included in the squad that lost 3-1 at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. He is unlikely to feature against Aston Villa this Saturday too, having on Tuesday deleted all reference to Brentford on his Instagram account.
Brentford reject improved Newcastle United offer for Yoane Wissa
It was widely believed that Brentford completing the £42.5m club-record signing of Dango Ouattara from AFC Bournemouth last weekend would green light Wissa’s exit. However, they continue to stand firm.
Manager Keith Andrews said after his side’s defeat at the City Ground that Ouattara was regarded as a replacement for Bryan Mbeumo, who joined Manchester United. NewcastleWorld have since had word that the Bees want between £50m to £60m.
So, it should perhaps come as a little surprise that the West London outfit have rejected the Magpies’ second bid of £35m plus £5m in add-ons.
Tottenham Hotspur show interest in Yoane Wissa - but he only wants NUFC
While Newcastle weigh up their next step, interest from a Premier League rival has reportedly emerged.
Tottenham had considered including Richarlison in a part-exchange deal to sign Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, which, if accepted, would have enabled them to move for Wissa. However, with Eze set to join Arsenal, a move for Wissa is now solely dependent on Spurs offloading a forward.
Mail Sport claims there is a feeling that Brentford are stalling in negotiations with Newcastle because they want to sell Wissa to their former boss Thomas Frank. However, DR Congo international has made it clear that he has his heart set on a move to Tyneside.
According to Sky Sports News’ Keith Downie, a big draw for Wissa is United’s rich history with French African players and the vacant number nine. Meanwhile, Mail Sport’s Craig Hope says that Wissa has asked Brentford to listen to his wishes.
Newcastle United striker search continues
For all the noise surrounding Alexander Isak’s future amid interest from Liverpool, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has made it clear he is looking to sign a striker regardless after losing Callum Wilson on a free transfer to West Ham United.
“I think it's been my wish to get a striker because we needed to replace Callum Wilson,” Howe told NewcastleWorld after Saturday’s goalless draw at Aston Villa. “I can't say that enough. It's not like we're looking at any other area, we've been looking to recruit a striker to replace Callum.
“Callum's a big miss, not just his playing ability, but his personality. So that's what we're looking to do.”