The name Mehdi Abeid will mean something to Newcastle United fans, even if the now 24-year-old midfielder never quite made it at St James’ Park.
Brought in from Lens at a young age, the Algeria international spent four years with the northern club, enjoying a few loan spells along the way, before being sold to Panathinaikos in 2015.
Since, Abeid has enjoyed more regular football and developed into a good Ligue 1 midfielder, where he helped Dijon avoid relegation this season, with three goals and two assists in 28 appearances.
This renewed form has, according to L’Equipe, caught the eye of an English club, one none other than Newcastle, recently promoted to the Premier League after lifting the Championship trophy.
The French newspaper name the Magpies as a potential destination, but hint a few others could also be lurking in the shadows, even if their identity remains hidden for now.
The player himself isn’t ruling out a return to St James’ Park in the summer, saying: “I’m very attached to Dijon and their project, but I’m not closing any door.”
After all, having spent such a long time with Newcastle, it wouldn’t be surprising if he felt some affection towards them and their fans, and if the opportunity to play for them full-time, something he really wanted to achieve when he was there, presents itself, he could very well take it.
With two years left on his contract, he would cost Rafael Benitez some of his transfer kitty, but considering Dijon’s relatively weak financial situation, we can’t see it being more than €10m.
