Newcastle in contact to sign £48.9m-rated maestro as Woltemade transfer decision looms
Newcastle United have made contact about Stuttgart star Bilal El Khannouss, which could yet open the door for Nick Woltemade to leave the club, TEAMtalk understands.
Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle had initially targeted Woltemade as a player he believed could play a central role under his new regime.
However, having worked with the German since arriving at St James’ Park, it is understood that Jaissle would now allow the forward to leave as Newcastle look to bring in a couple of new attacking options.
Sources indicate that Newcastle are in the market for a ‘number 10’ and a ‘number 7’, with one of those players also capable of covering the centre-forward position.
We have already revealed that Lille’s Matias Fernandez-Pardo is a player Newcastle have held talks about, and it can now be confirmed that former Leicester City midfielder El Khannouss is another player they are looking to bring back to the Premier League.
Lille are demanding around €70million (£60m / $81.5m) for Fernandez-Pardo, and that deal remains ongoing, while El Khannouss is available for a similar price.
The Morocco international spent last season on loan at Stuttgart, who made the move permanent earlier this summer. Including the original loan fee, the overall deal was worth around €47million (£40.3m / $54.7m), but Stuttgart now want an additional €10million (£8.6m / $11.6m) on top of that figure to sell him.
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Newcastle ready to push for El Khannouss deal
A number of clubs, including Galatasaray, have made enquiries about El Khannouss, but Newcastle are firmly in the mix and are now exploring whether a deal can be reached.
The situation has also created an intriguing possibility involving Woltemade.
We can reveal that intermediaries have held talks with Stuttgart about Woltemade and a possible return to the club he left last year.
El Khannouss helped replace Woltemade at the MHPArena following the German’s departure, and the pair could now effectively swap roles again.
Stuttgart could not afford to buy Woltemade outright at this stage, but a loan deal could be an option that suits all parties.
In theory, Newcastle could also secure more favourable terms for El Khannouss if Woltemade were somehow incorporated into the negotiations, although no such agreement is currently in place.
We can also confirm that Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig have shown an interest in Woltemade, giving Newcastle further potential avenues should they decide to allow the forward to leave.
For now, Newcastle’s priority is to complete their work on their attacking targets, with Fernandez-Pardo and El Khannouss both under consideration.
Newcastle sources have confirmed that should the club get their forward targets, Woltemade could depart.
That makes the El Khannouss situation particularly interesting, with Newcastle’s pursuit of the Stuttgart midfielder potentially opening the door to a return to Germany for Woltemade just 12 months after he left the club.
