Newcastle United reportedly made a 'verbal offer' to try and sign Boubacar Kamara before the summer transfer window shut.
The Lowdown: Disappointing window
It was a pretty disappointing window for the St. James' Park faithful as they only managed to bring in one player of note on a permanent deal in Joe Willock from Arsenal.
Even so, he was on loan in the North East last season, and so they have not really managed to strengthen their squad.
The Latest: Kamara offer
As per L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), the president of Marseille Pablo Longoria 'made no secret' of his desire to sell Kamara in the summer, and given that he has stayed at the Ligue 1 club, a move may still be possible in January.
The Tyneside outfit, as well as both Bayern Munich and Sevilla, have 'followed' the central midfield player for 'many months', and the former submitted a 'verbal offer' to Marseille of €14m (£12m).
However, this 'did not satisfy' them, as they had hoped to get a fee closer to the region of between €30m (£25.8m).
Kamara was not in favour of a move to Steve Bruce's team, but his current deal in France runs out in 2022.
The Verdict: Wait for January
The Magpies should seriously consider making an improved offer for Kamara in January, as he would give Bruce another handy squad option.
The Frenchman has started off the new Ligue 1 campaign well, winning no fewer than 3.3 of his duels per match, as well as averaging 1.7 tackles and 1.7 key passes per game (Sofascore).
Nonetheless, at just 21 years of age, he would be a good investment for the future, and can also play in central defence, adding depth for Bruce in two positions at once.