Newcastle United were interested in a move for RB Leipzig midfielder Amadou Haidara last summer, and their interest has not gone away.
That’s according to SportBILD, who say the player now has a €40m release clause in his contract to protect the German side from any interested parties.
They explain that several players at Leipzig want to use the club as a ‘springboard’ for moves to top clubs, something some have already done in recent years.
The likes of Naby Keita, Ibrahima Konate, Timo Werner, Dayot Upamecano and Marcel Sabitzer have all ended up securing big moves after starring for Leipzig, and those remaining at the club want to do the same.
This is something Leipzig are aware of and are more than happy to facilitate, so long as they get paid, and so most players have an ‘escape option’ in their contracts.
23-year-old Haidara is one of them, with Leipzig putting a €40m clause in his contract, which currently expires in 2025.
There was plenty of interest in the midfielder last summer, with Newcastle one of three Premier League clubs who ‘wanted’ to take the player to England.
The big issue was his release clause, which they weren’t interested in paying without some form of negotiation, largely due to the impact that COVID-19 had had on their finances. This was an issue Leipzig faced with many of their stars and their release clauses.
The interest from the Magpies is ‘unbroken’, though, meaning they could move again now they’re flush with cash from their takeover by PIF.
There’s no indication of that from SportBILD at this point, but they do make it clear that Newcastle remain interested, and if a lack of money was the only thing stopping them in the summer, then it stands to reason there’s nothing stopping them from moving now.
€40m would be a high price to pay, of course, but then, does that really matter to a club who are as rich as can be?
