Newcastle United are weighing up whether to challenge Burnley in the race for Lyon's Maxwel Cornet, according to 90Min. 

The lowdown

Burnley's interest in Cornet has progressed to the bidding stage, with a £15million offer now on the table.

Lyon, as the report notes, have already recruited a replacement in the form of Italian international and former Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri.

Cornet spent the majority of last season in the left-back role but he can also play in more advanced positions down that flank.

The £10.8million-rated Ivorian made 39 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals and providing six assists (via Transfermarkt).

Cornet has already made an impression on an English audience, having scored three times across two meetings with Manchester City in the Champions League. After he netted both goals in a 2-2 draw in November 2018, Guardiola admitted to being 'very impressed'.

The latest

Burnley could face 'late competition' with Newcastle, West Ham United and Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin all named as rival suitors.

The player notably resisted Burnley's advances initially but the Clarets are clearly determined to land him, submitting a club-record bid and offering to make him their highest-paid player.

The verdict

If Steve Bruce is stick with his 5-3-2 formation, Cornet could prove to be well-suited to the left-wingback role, though Matt Ritchie already provides an attacking threat from that position.

Moving for Cornet would also be a blow to 2020 signing Jamal Lewis, and you sense there's a player there who can be truly unlocked with the right coaching.

For those reasons, there would be legitimate questions asked of Newcastle if they entered the fray, given how desperate they are for signings in other positions.

In other news, this player was left seething against Villa.