Very quiet for Bournemouth ever since his knee injury that saw his good Premier League start come to an abrupt end, Max Gradel has, over the past couple of days, become a prime target for a few Ligue 1 clubs.
On Thursday, we covered an article in La Gazette des Transferts claiming that Nantes in France were considering loaning the Ivory Coast international from Eddie Howe’s side until the end of the season, with a temporary deal and an option to buy the likeliest outcome.
Gradel, who has only totalled 90 minutes of Premier League football since the start of the season, would certainly welcome the opportunity to move away from the Vitality Stadium if it meant playing regular football.
Furthermore, if the club that came knocking was one he knew very well, the temptation to move back to France could increase exponentially.
But! on Friday report that Saint-Etienne, who are looking for a new left winger, are considering making an approach for their former fan favourite star, who scored 17 league goals in his last season for the Ligue 1 club.
The one problem the French side have with this is their track record of bringing back former players on loan isn’t great, with both Josuha Guilavogui and Franck Tabanou failing to impress on their returns to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Could Gradel be the one to change the trend?
