Newcastle United’s eight-month pursuit of Rémy Cabella is drawing to a close. The 24-year-old Montpellier midfielder, who was part of France’s World Cup squad, is expected to interrupt a holiday in Corsica to undergo a medical on Tyneside on Monday and finalise personal terms.
Reports in France claim Newcastle will pay £12m for Cabella – a sum that may disappoint Mike Ashley, the club’s owner, who originally had a much more modest figure in mind.
Whatever his precise price, the Newcastle manager, Alan Pardew – who, desperate to reinforce his attack, has also inquired about the Monaco striker Emmanuel Rivière – regards Cabella as the ideal replacement for his team’s former creative catalyst Yohan Cabaye, who defected to Paris Saint-Germain last January.
Meanwhile, Newcastle will confirm Mathieu Debuchy’s switch to Arsenal once they have signed a new right-back. That man is likely to be the Holland international Daryl Janmaat, who has emerged as Pardew’s key target. A £5m bid has already been turned down by Feyenoord, but Janmaat is still expected to be on the St James’ Park books by the end of the week.
At left-back, Pardew’s plans have been disrupted by Davide Santon’s latest injury. The Italian has a history of knee problems and will miss the entire pre-season as he undergoes rehabilitation. While Santon will be absent from Newcastle’s impending summer tour of New Zealand, it is hoped he will be fit to return to action by early autumn.
