4. Massadio Haidara
Nationality: French Current Club: AS Nancy Position: Left-back Fee: £2.9m (according to The Chronicle) First up is left-back, and highly-rated French prospect Massadio Haidara, who currently plays for bottom side AS Nancy and who has been suggested for some time as a solution to Newcastle's need for added depth in defence. Some fans might see the acquisition as a statement of intent to allow Italian full-back Davide Santon to leave, but it could well be that Alan Pardew sees Santon as a possible midfield option, thanks to his attacking prowess and his recently poor defensive performances, culminating in the positional disaster that lead to Reading's first goal on Saturday. Haidara is a more natural left-back, who would link up very well with Santon, if the Italian is indeed kept on and not sold back to Italy, and his acquisition is impressive given his rising stock in France. The AS Nancy club web-site carried the following message earlier today...
After 46 matches and two and half years at AS Nancy, Massadio Haidara leaves the club for Newcastle United, currently 16th in the Premier League. The two clubs have reached an agreement and will finalise the transfer this Tuesday.
So it seems at least one of the three parties involved seems certain it's a done deal.