Tracked by Newcastle United throughout the summer, Jonathan Bamba finally ended up staying at Saint-Etienne, where he made it clear he would like to establish himself.
Unfortunately for him, there seems to be a bit of a disagreement between the club, himself and his agents over a new contract, which is leaving the door open to many clubs, including Rafael Benitez’s side.
Bamba’s performances since the start of the season, which include two goals and an assist over the first five league games, have made the player’s requests a bit more demanding.
Currently tied to the Ligue 1 side until next summer, talks between all parties had reportedly stalled a while back, but Le Progrès on Friday report negotiations are expected to start again next week.
The French newspaper describe the previous attempt at resolving the issue as ‘getting off to a bad start’, suggesting quite a few compromises will need to be made by both sides if an agreement is to be reached.
If there is even the remotest chance the 21-year-old is available on a free come January, it’s a near guarantee that Newcastle United will be present, trying to bring the versatile forward to St James’ Park.
After missing out on Nicolas Pépé last January and in the summer to Lille, there are worse alternatives than the France U21 international for Newcastle.
