Newcastle United have reportedly contacted Marseille with a view to signing Loic Remy, as Alan Pardew looks to end his summer transfer frustration.
The Magpies boss is determined to add more quality to his squad this summer, as he looks to build on last season’s fifth-place Premier League finish. However, so far he has been able to recruit just two players: Romain Amalfitano, the 22-year-old who arrives on a free transfer from Reims, and another midfielder, Coventry City’s Gael Bigirimana, 19, who has joined for an undisclosed fee.
Elsewhere, negotiations for France international fullback Mathieu Debuchy have hit a wall after his performances at Euro 2012 led Lille to increase their asking price, whilst central defender Douglas is also proving difficult to prise from FC Twente. A loan bid to return Andy Carroll to St James Park from Liverpool has been rebuffed, meanwhile, with the Reds said to be holding out for a permanent deal at £17million.
Pardew will be hoping for better luck in his pursuit of Remy, who is now in the final 12 months of his contract at Marseille. It is understood that the Ligue 1 club are willing to cash in on the 25-year-old, rather than lose him for nothing this time next year. The Guardian claim Newcastle have already been in touch to establish the terms of his availability, and are hoping to negotiate on the initial asking price of £15million for the France international.
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with Remy, who scored 20 goals in 42 appearances in all competition last season. Arsene Wenger has already signed Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski this summer, yet may seek further reinforcements should Robin van Persie leave, as is expected. Andre Villas-Boas, the Spurs boss, is also keen to bolster his attacking options, and has so far failed to reach an agreement for the permanent signature of Emmanuel Adebayor, who played a key role in their fourth-placed finish whilst on loan from Manchester City last term.
Rubin Kazan, meanwhile, are the latest club to be linked with Demba Ba. The Senegal international has a release clause of £7million in his Newcastle contract, provided this fee is met before 31 July, and although the Premier League side insist there has been no contact, this is a price easily within reach for the Russians.
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