Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare remains top of Newcastle United's 'wish list', according to The Daily Mail journalist Simon Jones.

The lowdown

Soumare is a 22-year-old defensive midfielder who's figured heavily for title-chasing Lille this season.

Christophe Galtier's side are three points clear of Paris Saint-Germain, who have won seven of the last eight French titles, with two games remaining.

Soumare also played a part in every game of their Europa League campaign, which ended at the hands of Ajax in the Round of 32.

The Frenchman has averaged 1.4 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, 0.9 dribbles and 2.3 accurate long balls per 90 minutes in Ligue 1 - according to WhoScored, he excels at aerial duels and passing.

Newcastle agreed a £35million fee with Lille last year before Soumare turned them down.

The latest

As it stands, it looks to be Leicester City leading the race for Soumare. The report says that the fourth-placed Foxes have opened talks with Lille over a move, this time for just £21million - the pandemic has 'brought his price down dramatically' by about 40 per cent.

Meanwhile, Everton and Leeds United both had scouts watching him in action in a 3-0 victory over RC Lens last Friday.

But even though the Magpies are seemingly on the backfoot, he's said to remain one of their top targets.

And crucially, 'Lille hope there will be rival bids', so may even invite Newcastle to the negotiating table rather than simply agreeing a deal with the Foxes.

The verdict

The impressive Soumare would be a steal at £21million, but can Newcastle compete with a Leicester side who may have Champions League football to offer? What they can promise is a weekly starting berth.

Leicester may not be in a position to guarantee that, with Wilfried Ndidi and Youri Tielemans among the first names on the teamsheet already.

With so much interest, don't be surprised if this battle for Soumare takes another twist, and the price could yet rise again because of the competition, but at £21m the Toon would be fools not to throw their hat in the ring again for a player they've been chasing for so long.

In other news, this former Newcastle star is said to be 'desperate' to return to St James' Park.