---
title: "Newcastle: Fans react to apparent reason for Boubakary Soumare turning down the Magpies"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/newcastle-fans-react-to-apparent-reason-for-boubakary-soumare-turning-down-the-magpies/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Liam Togher"
section: "Newcastle United"
published: "2020-02-01T19:10:26Z"
modified: "2020-02-01T19:10:26Z"
---

# Newcastle: Fans react to apparent reason for Boubakary Soumare turning down the Magpies

**Newcastle were unable to lure midfielder Boubakary Soumare from Lille on transfer deadline day, with [The Sun](https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/10863778/newcastle-boubakary-soumare-lille-chelsea-transfer/) reporting that the 20-year-old turned down a move to Tyneside despite the Ligue 1 club accepting a £35m offer from the Magpies.**

This morning, French media outlet [L’Equipe](https://www.lequipe.fr/) claimed \[via [@RBairner](https://twitter.com/RBairner/status/1223541500329500676) on Twitter\] that the St James’ Park club asked Allan Saint-Maximin to contact the France under-21 international via FaceTime and show him the Geordies’ training facilities in order to persuade him to sign, with Soumare declining Newcastle’s advances.

> Newcastle got Allan Saint-Maximim to FaceTime Lille's Boubakary Soumare to show him the club's facilities in a bid to get him to sign, L'Equipe reports.
>
> The young midfielder politely declined. [#NUFC](https://twitter.com/hashtag/NUFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
>
> — Robin Bairner (@RBairner) [February 1, 2020](https://twitter.com/RBairner/status/1223541500329500676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

The topic of the Magpies’ training facilities has been a bone of contention for some in the past, with [Chronicle Live](https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-united-must-improve-training-14841421) reporter Andrew Musgrove calling for improvements in that regard in a column for the newspaper last year. As shown in a tweet by [@TheGingerPirlo\_](https://twitter.com/thegingerpirlo_/status/1028758516163600384?lang=en), Newcastle’s players cool down after training by bathing in a paddling pool rather than purpose-built ice baths.

According to [Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/amp/football/news/12691/11909775/boubakary-soumare-manchester-united-and-chelsea-set-to-battle-it-out-for-his-capture), the Lille midfielder was also linked with Manchester United and Chelsea in the January transfer window. After seeing Robin Bairner’s tweet about Saint-Maximin using FaceTime to speak to Soumare, these Newcastle fans on Twitter seemed rather unimpressed:

> Wonder why 🤣 [pic.twitter.com/XeoETe3xBS](https://t.co/XeoETe3xBS)
>
> — Oscar Martinez (@Oscar\_AshleyOut) [February 1, 2020](https://twitter.com/Oscar_AshleyOut/status/1223542453954908161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> Do you laugh or cry
>
> — 🤘🤙🖖VG1⚫⚪⚫⚪ (@vangary1) [February 1, 2020](https://twitter.com/vangary1/status/1223547512881123328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> Why would you even think about “showing off” the clubs training facilities?! Surely, surely, the only place to FaceTime is St James’ Park?!
>
> — Mohsin Khan (@mkhan185) [February 1, 2020](https://twitter.com/mkhan185/status/1223543858912485377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> Time to invest in higher spec padding pools and wheelie bins
>
> — Daniel Garrahan (@DanGarrahan) [February 1, 2020](https://twitter.com/DanGarrahan/status/1223554833078157312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> The Asda paddling pool that we class as an ice bath obviously didn’t do the trick
>
> — Steven Ions (@ions316) [February 1, 2020](https://twitter.com/ions316/status/1223548800775491586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> I would also turn down a move to Newcastle if i saw the training facilities they have 😂
>
> — Daniel Driveklepp (@DDriveklepp) [February 1, 2020](https://twitter.com/DDriveklepp/status/1223542323327442945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> If this is true, it’s a real indictment of how detached from reality the management of our club is.
>
> — NotSoLocalHero (@NotSoLocalHero) [February 1, 2020](https://twitter.com/NotSoLocalHero/status/1223546253948203009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> [pic.twitter.com/AgORe2A6tP](https://t.co/AgORe2A6tP)
>
> — Dave Hardy (@Dave\_Hardy09) [February 1, 2020](https://twitter.com/Dave_Hardy09/status/1223551750671622144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> No wonder he turned us down
>
> — Dan Wearmouth (@danwearmouth) [February 1, 2020](https://twitter.com/danwearmouth/status/1223552078787891202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

***What do you make of the report about Saint-Maximin being asked to showcase Newcastle’s training facilities to try and persuade Soumare to sign for the Magpies? Comment below with your views!***