Newcastle miss out on Sékou Mara

Newcastle have missed out on the signing of Bordeaux striker Sékou Mara.

The Lowdown: Magpies interest

According to a report by Foot Mercato (via SportWitness), with the French outfit’s financial issues forcing them all the way down into the third tier of French football, Bordeaux will be forced into selling their star players this summer.

As a result, it is claimed that Newcastle, Leeds and Aston Villa were all interested in signing Mara this summer.

Regarding the Magpies’ interest in particular, the report suggests that it was ‘very concrete’, but Dan Ashworth has been unable to convince the 19-year-old to join despite ‘talks‘ with the player this week.

The Latest: NUFC miss out again…

Newcastle have now missed out on signing Mara, with the striker confirmed to be joining Southampton after the two clubs agreed upon a roughly £11m transfer fee, adding yet another miss to the Magpies’ ongoing striker search.

Chelsea striker Armando Broja has been a consistent link for Eddie Howe’s side throughout the transfer window, but the 20-year-old is now closing in on a £30m move to West Ham.

Furthermore, Newcastle have had to abandon their pursuit of Real Sociedad forward Alexander Isak due to problems negotiating a fee with the Spanish outfit, and also issues with the wage demands made by the player.

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The Verdict: Another blow

Whilst Callum Wilson looks set to start the season up top for the Magpies, worries remain over the striker’s fitness and extensive injury history.

This was certainly a problem last season, with calf and hamstring injuries causing the 30-year-old to miss out on 23 games (via Transfermarkt).

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Therefore, it is imperative that Newcastle step up their interest in other targets to secure a another forward before the end of the summer window. Otherwise, Howe could be left with just Chris Wood if history replicates itself with Wilson’s frequent injury woes and Dwight Gayle nearing an exit.