Newcastle United could revive their interest in Rennes left-back Faitout Maouassa after making a bid for him in the January transfer window.
21-year-old Maouassa has been one of the stars of the show for Rennes this season, establishing himself as the first-choice left-back and helping the club to third in Ligue 1.
His performances have not gone unnoticed, according to L’Equipe, who say that European sports directors have been ‘won over’ by the defender, who already has 108 professional games under his belt.
One of those keen are Newcastle, who made a bid of €8m in January when they were on the hunt for a left-back.
That move never came to fruition, but they have ‘not lost touch’ of the player, who was once courted heavily by Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid.
They could revive their interest in him this summer, particularly if their takeover by new Saudi owners should go through.
Regardless of that, Maouassa could be available at a bargain price as he only has a year left on his current deal and is yet to sit down and discuss an extension.
L’Equipe speculate that a bid ‘exceeding €10-12m’ could tempt Rennes into considering a sale, which is a price Newcastle could comfortably afford.
Whether the player would be interested in the move isn’t mentioned although it is stated he finds the prospect of playing in the Champions League with Rennes ‘appealing’, meaning the Magpies may have to do a bit of convincing should they make another bid.
