6. Remy Cabella
Claude Paris/AP/Press Association Images
Club: Montpellier Typically, Newcastle don't do quick transfer deals: though Jack Colback's defection from Sunderland seems to have gone smoothly and quickly once he decided not to stay on Wearside, and Ayoze Perez's move was wrapped up early, they are very much atypical of how the club does business now. Indeed, scratch away the surface details of Siem De Jong's move to Tyneside, and you will find a move four years in the making - and not merely in order to allow extended scouting. Because the club are ran so much as a business, investment in assets is as closely scrutinised as any merger would be, and despite accusations of tight-fistedness, it remains refreshing to see a club acutely aware of how much £1 million really is, instead of throwing around obscene amounts as if they're Monopoly money. That said, that's not how the market works, and Newcastle have had to develop strong will in negotiations, which is particularly obvious in their attempts to land Remy Cabella. Identified formerly as one of the options to replace Yohan Cabaye, Cabella's sticking point was Newcastle's new best friend Louis Nicollin, who is still smarting over Mapou Yanga Mbiwa's move to the club, and though he rejected a lower offer before the World Cup to draw out a bidding war, that agenda failed, and it looks like Newcastle are closer than ever to landing their man.