Sent to Marseille on loan for the season due to Mikel Arteta’s reluctance to use him, Mattéo Guendouzi said goodbye to Arsenal fans and the club itself in a fairly definitive manner.
The general consensus has been that the Ligue 1 side would make the move permanent at some point (with claims all that needs to be done is for them to avoid relegation), and the midfielder’s great performances under Jorge Sampaoli only accentuated that feeling.
However, despite everyone seemingly being in agreement over this, Newcastle Untied have decided to try and meddle into the affair, according to Foot Mercato.
The French outlet explain Guendouzi is ‘popular’ with the Magpies, and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund’s new toy are ‘very much interested’ in the Arsenal player.
It’s then explained that Newcastle could ‘make a move next summer to recruit him’, which could allow Marseille, if they have bought him by then, to make a nice little profit.
That being said, the big hurdle for the St James’ Park club in all this is that Guendouzi ‘feel particularly good at OM and isn’t thinking about a departure’, suggesting he would prefer a stay in the south of France.
We’ll have to wait and see, but it seems the odds are stacked against Newcastle for now in this particular case, even with all their money.
