Newcastle United are believed to be on the verge of signing Bazoumana Toure. A deal is believed to have been agreed with both Hoffenheim and the player himself. In fact, the winger has already been pictured at St James’ Park. So, a move seems to be only a matter of time.
The Magpies cannot afford to stop there though. While Toure might be viewed as the replacement for Anthony Gordon, they will need to replace Sandro Tonali as well, with the Italian leaving for Tottenham Hotspur in a record deal.
Naturally, Newcastle United have been linked with a number of midfielders. Johan Manzambi, Lamine Camara, Andrey Santos, Lesley Ugochukwu and quite a few other names have been doing the rounds of the rumour mill.
That should not distract one from the club’s need for a striker as well. Alexander Isak left last summer and despite spending a lot on reinforcements, the club were not able to fill his void. Another addition is required.
Newcastle United linked with €100 million-rated striker also wanted by Arsenal
According to BILD (via Chronicle Live), Newcastle United have joined Arsenal in the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane.
The report goes on to state that Bayer Leverkusen have no intentions of seeing him depart this summer. But if an £85 million bid was lodged, then the hierarchy at the German club would see their interests piqued.
Of course, it would be pretty hard to justify spending that kind of money on signing a 19-year-old striker who scored just seven goals last season.
There is no doubt that Kofane is a talent. That being said, Newcastle United simply do not have the finances to entertain the idea at this moment. If Bayer Leverkusen are willing to let him depart for a more realistic fee, perhaps it would make sense.
What would Christian Kofane bring to the table?
Kofane is 19 years of age. He joined Bayer Leverkusen last season and in his debut season, he scored 7 goals and provided 9 assists in just 1983 minutes of football.
That included a goal against Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and assists against PSG and Manchester City in the Champions League. He has also featured for Cameroon at the international level, scoring twice in 6 outings.
So, it is not hard to see why Kofane might be drawing the interest of clubs like Arsenal and Newcastle United. He might not be an elite striker right now, but he has the potential to develop into one.
That being said, Newcastle United simply are not in a position to go out and spend €100 million on potential. They need someone proven who will guarantee goals. A move for Kofane might seem exciting on paper, but I feel it should not be considered at this point in time.
