Newcastle bid for Alexandre Lacazette
French daily newspaper L’Equipe has learned that Newcastle United have submitted an official proposal for Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette.
It is no secret that Magpies boss Steve McClaren is in the market for a high-quality centre forward with summer recruit Aleksandar Mitrovic and Papiss Cisse having failed to impress this term.
Newcastle appear to have made Alexandre Lacazzette their number one target and they have started the bidding at £19 million.
But, despite the fact that Lyon value their prized asset at £23 million, the latest reports suggest the striker is not interested in moving to St James’ Park.
This is hardly a surprise considering that Europe’s top clubs are after his signature, so it remains to be seen whether Newcastle officials can make him change his mind.
Alexandre Lacazette, 24, was in stunning form last term as he bagged 27 goals in 33 league appearances, while he has been showing improvement after a poor start to the current campaign.
Schalke confirm Belhanda arrival
Bundesliga outfit Schalke have announced on their official website that they are set to complete the signing of Younes Belhanda from Dynamo Kiev.
The Ukrainian giants had accepted a loan offer from the Miners, believed to be in the region of €1 million, with the midfielder then flying to Orlando to undergo a medical.
The entire Schalke squad, together with club officials, is in the United States as they are preparing for the second part of the Bundesliga campaign.
Club chief Horst Heldt moved to confirm that the deal should soon be completed, bar any surprises.
“If all the tests go smoothly and we complete all the paperwork, we can assume that Younes Belhanda will be with us on loan until the end of the current season,” reported Heldt.
Younes Belhanda is still held in high regard in spite of the disappointing spell in Ukraine, having largely impressed playing for Montpellier in Ligue 1.
Palace have bid rejected for Islam Slimani
Algerian newspaper Le Buteur has revealed that Crystal Palace had an offer turned down for Sporting Lisbon striker Islam Slimani.
A number of Premier League sides have been keeping close tabs on the 27-year-old footballer, with West Ham the first to have an approach rejected.
Crystal Palace are another English side to have been unsuccessful in their attempts to lure Slimani to the Premiership, having had a €15 million proposal rejected for the highly rated footballer.
Sporting Lisbon bosses didn’t even want to hear about selling their star player midway through the season, while they reportedly value Slimani closer to his €30 million release clause.
The Algeria star has been in excellent form ever since he joined from Belouizdad, with 10 goals in 14 league outings this term proving he is on top of his game.
His suitors Crystal Palace occupy seventh position in the league standings and are available at 4/9 to achieve a top table finish.
For more news about football transfers and rumours, visit our Transfer News section. To view all football transfers for 2015/16 season, visit our Soccer Transfers section.
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