Newcastle United are hoping to add to their signings of Mathieu Debuchy and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa this month by bringing Dutch striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel to St James' Park, according to the
Journal. Defender Yanga-Mbiwa has signed for an undisclosed fee from Montpellier and Alan Pardew has eyed up three more French players to join him on Tyneside, with deals for Toulouse midfielder Moussa Sissoko and Nancy left-back Maassadio Haidara believed to be close. And Sporting Lisbon striker Wolfswinkel is also open to a move, according to reports, if a deal can be struck with his club. It was reported in the Portuguese press yesterday that the Magpies are the favourites to land his signature for £10 million by seeing off interest from the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool and Cologne. His agent Lous Laros did not deny that there has been interest from Newcastle, but denied rumours that the player has handed in a transfer request at Lisbon. Laros said:
I wont name specific clubs as that is a private matter, but what I will say is there is big interest in Ricky from England. I have passed on this information to Sporting and it is up to them to come to any agreement and then we could negotiate. Can something happen this month? In football, you just never know what might happen. We are laid-back about the situation. Ricky is like any player in that he is ambitious and the Premier League is a fantastic place. He is happy for the moment in Lisbon. There have been reports that he has requested a transfer, but that is not true.
Newcastle manager Pardew remarked after the defeat against Reading last week that he would like three new players this month as he seeks to reverse his sides fortunes, as Newcastle slope further toward the relegation zone after 6 games without a win. It looks like his wishes will come true, and more, which comes as a huge boost for the beleaguered boss.