Boubakary Soumare turned down Newcastle’s advances because he wants a more prestigious move, Le10 Sport have revealed.
Steve Bruce admitted on transfer deadline day that his side had seen a bid accepted for an unnamed midfielder, later deduced to be Lille midfielder Soumare, however the player wasn’t keen on a move to St James’ Park (Mail Online).
Now Le10 Sport have explained that Soumare has his heart set on a more prestigious club , with either of Liverpool or Manchester United capturing the Frenchman’s interest.
The 20-year old rejected Newcastle’s offer as he is waiting for the chance to join either of England’s most successful clubs, having been tipped to leave Lille in the near future.
Read Newcastle Verdict
While it would have been positive to see Newcastle go out and break the bank to increase their depth in midfield, it isn’t surprising to see someone so young hold out for the bigger movie, especially if he can sense the two aforementioned club’s eyes on him.
Soumare told L’Equipe (via Mail Online) in mid-January that he had a ‘very clear idea’ of his future career, before saying that he wanted to complete the full season with the Ligue 1 club.
Soumare is comfortable at Lille, developing and improving as he matures in Christophe Galtier’s side, and it stands to reason that should he feel he has a shot at joining a Champions League side if he remains put and focuses on improving, then that is what he should do, much to the chagrin of Newcastle.
Still, with the Magpies now seven points above the relegation zone, the task for the rest of the season must be to consolidate and move up that table as much as possible, then hopefully the club can rebuild in the summer.
