Newcastle United appear to have the advantage in their pursuit of Stoke City midfielder Badou Ndiaye, according to sources.
The Senegal international, who was a part of Senegal’s squad that failed to make it through the group stage of the currently ongoing World Cup, only signed for Stoke in January.
However, since the Potters failed to avoid relegation to the Championship last season, Ndiaye has frequently been linked away, with Premier League side Newcastle having their name thrown into the hat this past week.
While former club Galatasaray were also believed to be interested, BeIN Sport Turkey reporter Kutlu Akpinar has claimed that a deal would be difficult to pull off for the Turkish Super Lig side.
As reported by Sport Witness, Akpinar said:
Ndiaye’s agent told Galatasaray that the player prefers to wait until the end of the World Cup. They hoped if Ndiaye enjoys a good tournament, then he might have a chance to stay in the Premier League but it didn’t happen.
At the moment it’s not likely he’ll join a Super Lig club on a permanent deal. Galatasaray needs to wait for the player but it’s very tough. We’ll see happens but I will be surprised if anything could be done in 10 days.
This could mean the Magpies have the advantage if they choose to step up their interest, with the 27-year believed to be keen on returning to the English top flight.
This news comes one day after the Tyneside outfit confirmed the signing of another former Premier League midfielder, with free agent and former Swansea star Ki Sung-yueng putting pen to paper a two-year deal.
