We’d never been linked with Saint-Etienne’s 18 year-old center-back Kurt Zouma before, so it was good news in the last day or two that Newcastle were going in with a double bid of £25M for striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and his young team-mate Zouma – and that news was first reported in the Daily Mail.
Kurt Zouma – false report?
But the France U20’s agent David Venditelli has said today that’s simply not true (spoilsport), and he had this to say today in Eurosport:
“The €29M (£25M) offer mentioned in the press from Newcastle for Zouma and Aubameyang is completely false.”
Aubameyang is Newcastle’s number one transfer target this summer, and the news was that we were willing to bid around £15M for the 24 year-old Gabon international, and a huge £10M for Kurt Zouma, which seemed like a lot of money for a player still so young.
But we always have to remember it’s the silly season, and it’s always very difficult to know what’s true and what isn’t.
It could be that even this report in Eurosport is made up – and it wouldn’t be the first time an agent was quoted saying something that he never said.
So you just can’t tell, and after researching Zouma, this lad would be a terrific acquisition for Newcastle, and he looks like one of the top young French defenders coming through.
£10M may be a lot of money to pay out for an 18 year-old, but at 21 this lad could be worth £25M – so it could still be a good buy for Newcastle.
We’ll just have to wait and see who we get in this summer, but another center-back looks certain to be joining the club.
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218 comments so far
colwell
Jun 29, 2013 at 10:56 AM
Comment #1Completely false. What???
Well that is a surprise I thought MA would have coughed up the 29m being quoted no questions asked.
Oh well at least it gave some of the dreamers something to be happy about for 2 days at least.
Must have forgotten that we are a cheap skate team and the likes of Swansea,Saints,Norwich,West Ham all out spend us.
jazzyp
Jun 29, 2013 at 10:58 AM
Comment #2wow hard to keep up with ya this morning ed.
on previous thread sackho has himself stated that he was born and lives for psg but is not getting the game time.he knows of interest from ac Milan and tentative talks have been made with Liverpool so I think we’ll struggle with this one although a cracking signing he’d be.
on zouma I just cant see this happening at all.theres no way we are going to pay out 7-10 mill out for a player to sit on the bench when we have more pressing needs in the team as in a cf
John Tudor
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:01 AM
Comment #3better hungrier players lower down cheaper to
Nick 69
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:01 AM
Comment #4well in actual fact it is not false, because the original story never ever said we’d made a bid, that was just everyone getting ahead of themselves. It said we were preparing a bid, not that I believe that either but it cannot be false when it was never even claimed to have been made
JAMSHA
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:02 AM
Comment #5We are being lied again
Lilongwe Geordie
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:03 AM
Comment #6Kets,
He has, it was widely reported a while back, I remember someone posting an article to show you his quotes. 🙂
As for Zarate, Spurs reportedly inquired, but were told 5 million that was at the end of May. Obv, things may have changed, and it was newspaper talk without quotes, so you may be right.
Tequila,
Yeah, I know Vuckic is still too young, I mentioned him to emphasise my point that you don’t have to be English to Bearsize. However, I’m pretty sure you can still name players in the squad that are younger than 21, it just is a waste of your squad spaces if you have a big squad. We don’t so Vuckic could be named and would count.
Yeah, we don’t have much home grown talent, I’d be okay to have Inman in their, he deserves a chance for me. Ferg, Tav, Newton, Dummet will all need to go on loan (as long as the window doesn’t go too badly) or they won’t really develop, so they won’t be in the squad..
colwell
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:03 AM
Comment #7FFS Kets,
Alderweireld said he wouldn’t go to a mid table Englisg team although the Liverpool project would interest him. We are not even a mid table team, you bring him up in every pot almost he WILL NOT come here.
Nor will 95% of the fantasy team you post. since MA has been in charge when has he spent more than 50m in a season let alone 1 window. Get off of football manager man.
JAMSHA
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:04 AM
Comment #8ooo shit another jfk post ahead…. m off
John Tudor
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:04 AM
Comment #9and the bookies are having a laugh at our odds for winning and the drop bet he has a packet on that
jazzyp
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:06 AM
Comment #10if were seriously looking at zouma at the age of 18,what does that say abt streete and good-not much me thinks
NEWEXPATMAGPIE
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:06 AM
Comment #11This is all starting to Ware me down Big time !
We seem to be being Outbid and out manoevered with regards to Transfers by the like of Villa, Norwich and Swansea !
The only players we are going to get are the Players whom no-one else wants ! I can honestly see one or two star players leaving and being replaced by Dross or not even being replaced at all !
Joe Blog
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:08 AM
Comment #12Phil Neville still hasn’t been snapped up yet, has he?
Ready made Cabaye replacement.
numba9
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:09 AM
Comment #13We need am experienced defender and top striker. I would look at some defenders from the German league and get bony and another maybe bent for 4 mil with guti going the other way
John Tudor
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:10 AM
Comment #14were fa##ed
Owldman
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:10 AM
Comment #15I will believe allthis transfer talk when we actually sign someone, until then all this speculation just leads to disappointment, when we dont get the players we want.l can see a tug of war developing. Kinnear pulling one way Pardew pulling the other & poor Carr in the middle
jazzyp
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:11 AM
Comment #16newexpatmagpie
cheer up mate weve just got to hope nufc have a splurge like the January transfer window on quality signings and not bent -Tomkins ect
John Tudor
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:12 AM
Comment #17cashley you cant take it with you,you cant !!!!!!!!!!!
MosesNUFC
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:13 AM
Comment #18This has deflated me quite a lot, if we do happen to get zouma and aubameyang then i’d be so happy, excited but now this could all be a false report and we’ve never even made contact with them about zouma or aubameyang which is really frustrating, as these are two players that would fit in perfectly and we desperately need them, and in time for pre-season so they can settle with the squad.
Joe Blog
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:14 AM
Comment #19Aww, he’s retired? Why didn’t that news make a bigger splash? 😉
NEWEXPATMAGPIE
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:16 AM
Comment #20@13:
Don,t where you bin for the last few days but it almost a Deffo that Boney is going to Swansea City ?
Joe Blog
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:16 AM
Comment #21MosesNUFC
Are you that wet behind the ears, you think Mash is going to going to frivolously spend 29m on an average ST and an 18year-old CB? No wonder our fans are a point if ridicule. Seem to have more than our fair share of fans with their heads in the clouds.
SeanNufc87
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:17 AM
Comment #22Joe blogs
Spot on mate! How has that world beater slipped through the gaps?
toonarmydownsouth
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:17 AM
Comment #23The SSN app has kinnear down as doing yet another interview
I’m getting seriously fcuked off with hearing this idiot flap his gums ffs
Why don’t you shut up about how many times you’ve met graham Carr since taking the job (a whopping 3 Apparantly) and get on and do what your supposed to be fcuking doing and get some deals in place ffs just because the window doesn’t open until tomos doesn’t mean we should be sitting round twiddling our thumbs whilst every other team in the league seem to have one or two players ready to sign there contracts ASAP
numba9
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:21 AM
Comment #24I think we could pip Swansea to bony if we made the effort but seems like we don’t want good strikers
John Tudor
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Comment #25ASHLEY GIVES IT AND KINNEAR TAKES IT AND AINT THE USUAL BUNG
tequilamag
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Comment #26Lilo thanks for clarifying the rule. I thought the 25 had to be over21 and could be supplemented by as many underage players as possible. Still leaves us short of places available for foreign players though. We currently have 16 over 21. If Amalfitano leaves then that leaves 2 spots before we have to sell one of them. Jonas and Obertan would be my choice to leave to make room available for new players. Would like to hold on to everyone else.
Lilongwe Geordie
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Comment #27There is plenty of English talent that isn’t massively overpriced. Maguire, Redmond, Clayton, Powell, you just have to stop shopping on the back pages and actually look at players.
Dale Jennings might be coming back to the UK, damaged his ligaments just after Bayern signed him, is only 19/20 getting back to full fitness. Looked a great talent a couple of years back when at Tranmere and Bayern signed him from there. Maybe worth a loan deal with a view to buy so we can assess him fully.
NEWEXPATMAGPIE
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:24 AM
Comment #28Why can,t players just make definite decisions and go on record pledging allegiance to a club or make definite statements of Intent ?
All this daily deluge of Crap reporting which is totally fictitious about activity from other clubs is hard to take!
Especially as we appear to be getting no-where fast !
The only optimistic part was that Dummet and Newton decided to pen new contracts !
The rest is all Doom,and Gloom !
@16: Wish i could cheer up and bring something more Positive ! We are the laughing stock of the League !
PMartel
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:25 AM
Comment #29The term ‘Smoke screen’ springs to mind in our striker search.
We will end up with Darren Bent.
numba9
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:25 AM
Comment #30Jennings signed for Barnsley last week
Black and White with an army lol
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:31 AM
Comment #31so PEA could be going to Everton makes sense, i can’t wait for the trolls on here to come out and say that he’s rubbish and are glad not to see him here and would prefer Bent because he’s English, what a load of horse sh!t!
Lilongwe Geordie
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:34 AM
Comment #32Tequila,
No the 25 can be any age, but if you have 25 players over 21 it is stupid to name a youth in the squad. As long as they have 3 years of training at a UK club between 17 and 21 then they would count. (So realistically to be homegrown they need to be minimum 20) You can name younger, but they wouldn’t class as home grown, so even more pointless.
If we were to bring in English who fit Home grown, I’d look at Austin, Harry Maguire, and Ince. I think Redmond is only 19, so might not be the 3 years.
Mister Tuff
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:35 AM
Comment #33numba9 -ref Bony -I did a post a couple of threads back – the Toon “interest” in Bony was created by a blogger on Metro.co.uk – it was picked up by other blogs then the papers a couple of months ago. It resulted in Dastardly saying we had no interest in him -but strangely he also said he was not physical enough for the PL – strange comment as he is a powerful lad. So it looks like any interest is false. But you never know.
Lilongwe Geordie
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:36 AM
Comment #34Numba9,
I read yesterday it hadn’t been completed yet – I saw the reports saying it was done last week, but apparently it isn’t.
Lilongwe Geordie
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:37 AM
Comment #35Also,
has anyone seen what has happened to Guidetti? He seems to have dropped off the face of the earth?
colwell
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:37 AM
Comment #36I can see the blog going into meltdown later when Belhanda comes out and says he is joining Villa.
Lilongwe Geordie
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:38 AM
Comment #37Or, to give him his full name John Alberto Fernando Andres Luigi Olof Guidetti. Is there any need for that many names!! 🙂
tequilamag
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:39 AM
Comment #38Lilo, seems a reasonable list to me. Would not be unhappy with any of them.
colwell
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:39 AM
Comment #39Lilongwe Geordie
Guidetti was linked with Sunderland last week
John Tudor
Jun 29, 2013 at 11:40 AM
Comment #40ed you must instigate a vote for ashley pretty soon i think the whole of football is waiting