Newcastle United target Azzedine Ounahi will be being “talked about in a few boardrooms”, amid speculation that Eddie Howe could be looking to bring the Angers and Morocco star to St. James’ Park, transfer insider Dean Jones has suggested to GiveMeSport.
The midfielder has impressed on World Cup duty as he helped Morocco reach the semi-finals of the tournament in Qatar, before being knocked out by France.
According to 90min, Newcastle are just one of several clubs who have scouted Ounahi, with the midfielder playing a huge part in Morocco’s success in Qatar this winter.
The 22-year-old’s £10k-per-week contract at Angers doesn’t expire until the summer of 2026, with the Ligue 1 club having the advantage in terms of negotiating a premium fee when it comes to his potential sale in January.
However, the Magpies will not be the only Premier League club who are looking to move for the midfielder, who has been described as a “superstar” by The Guardian’s Ed Aarons, this winter with Leicester City, Southampton, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers all potentially interested in a deal for the Morocco star.
And Jones believes that Ounahi is a name that will crop up in several boardrooms ahead of the January transfer market, with Angers president Said Chabane suggesting that the club would be willing to strike a deal with the view to the player returning on loan for the remainder of the season.
When asked about the prospect of Ounahi making a Premier League move this winter, Jones told GiveMeSport: “He’s one of the players who have really raised his standing in the game and it’ll be pretty cheap to get him out of Angers.
“At this moment in time, it’s not on the cards for him to join Spurs. At a time when cheap players of a good level are really hard to find, I’m sure he is somebody who is being talked about in a few boardrooms.”
Ounahi enjoyed a sensational World Cup in which Morocco became the first African side to reach the semi-finals of the tournament, with the midfielder starting six games in Qatar.
A WhoScored rating of 6.72 for his showings on the world’s biggest stage ranked him as the Atlas Lions’ eighth highest-performing player in the Middle East, something that indicates that he is capable of performing under high-pressure situations.
Meanwhile, Sofascore shows that the Angers star, described as “world-class” by Jed Davies, was vital in breaking up the play against sides such as Spain and Portugal, with the midfielder making one interceptions per game and 1.3 tackles.
Therefore, if Newcastle can secure a deal for Ounahi at a reasonable price in the new year, they may just try to move very quickly on a deal to get ahead of fellow Premier League interest.
Freelance Exclusives Writer at GiveMeSport, mainly covering Premier League football, including transfer news, injury news, reactions and opinions.
Graduate in Sports Journalism as of 2021 and have worked for a variety of media outlets and a professional football club.
Wrote 600+ articles for This is Futbol before moving over to GiveMeSport in November.
You can find me on Twitter – https://twitter.com/hwhittingham6
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Newcastle: 22 y/o ‘superstar’ will be ‘talked about in St James’ Park boardroom’ – GIVEMESPORT
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