---
title: "Newcastle: Craig Hope drops exciting Moussa Diaby update"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/newcastle-transfer-news-craig-hope-drops-exciting-moussa-diaby-update-eddie-howe-pif/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "David Comerford"
section: "Newcastle United News"
published: "2022-06-04T11:41:01Z"
modified: "2022-06-04T15:20:03Z"
---

# Newcastle: Craig Hope drops exciting Moussa Diaby update

**Newcastle United’s move for Moussa Diaby may be about to advance, [The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope says](https://twitter.com/CraigHope_DM/status/1532406712744960000).**

### The lowdown

[Hope reports](https://twitter.com/CraigHope_DM/status/1532406712744960000) that Bayer Leverkusen winger Diaby ‘has been on Newcastle’s radar since January’.

Manager Eddie Howe [is intent on](https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/newcastle-transfer-target-ekitike-arsenal-calvert-lewin-bid-sunderland-recruitment-1664449) adding a winger to his ranks during the summer transfer window.

Diaby, formerly of Paris Saint-Germain, is under contract with the Werkself until June 2025 and is valued at a whopping £49.5million by [Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/moussa-diaby/profil/spieler/395516).

For reference, Newcastle’s [transfer record currently stands](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/newcastle-united/transferrekorde/verein/762) at £39.6million – the fee they paid Hoffenheim for Joelinton in 2019.

### The latest

After striker Patrick Schick committed to Leverkusen by signing a new contract and Adam Hlozek joined from Sparta Prague on Thursday, [Hope told NUFC fans](https://twitter.com/CraigHope_DM/status/1532406712744960000) that they ‘might see movement on Diaby’ soon.

He added that Brennan Johnson, recently promoted with Nottingham Forest, has ‘also \[been\] watched’.

Newcastle scouts were in attendance at Wembley as Johnson’s Forest beat Huddersfield Town in the Championship playoff final last weekend 1-0 to claim a place in the Premier League.

\[freshpress-quiz id=”398104″\]

### The verdict

Newcastle fans should be excited if a move for Diaby is indeed in the offing.

According to [FBRef](https://fbref.com/en/players/aeed5c06/Moussa-Diaby), Diaby is similar in profile to the likes of Mohamed Salah, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden.

He possesses a ‘supernatural, divine gift’ ([in the words of the president of his first club](https://theathletic.com/3172612/2022/03/10/moussa-diaby-bayer-leverkusen-bundesliga-europa-league/)) and journalist [Ronan Murphy](https://twitter.com/swearimnotpaul/status/1529920918667022348) says he’s ‘the player they thought they might be getting from Joelinton’.

\[freshpress-poll id=”398218″\]

His return of [17 goals and 14 assists](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/moussa-diaby/leistungsdaten/spieler/395516) in all competitions last season was simply outstanding, with the Frenchman averaging a direct contribution every 115 minutes.

[Only](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/german-bundesliga/top-scorers) Robert Lewandowki (38), Christopher Nkunku (33), Erling Haaland (29), Schick (27) and Thomas Muller (26) were involved in more Bundesliga goals in 2021/22.

**In other news, [read this big goalkeeper claim from a European newspaper](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/newcastle-united-news/newcastle-diogo-costa-transfer-gossip-news/).**