Newcastle United have agreed a deal to sign defensive midfielder Didier Ndong this summer, according to reports.
Gabonese publication L’Union, via Sport Witness, claim Ndong’s current club Dijon and Newcastle have reached an agreement worth around just £2m.
A source who is said to be close to the Ligue 2 reported “the two parties have agreed” a deal for the 27-year-old, who recently returned from a loan spell with Turkish side Yeni Malatyaspor in protest of unpaid wages.
The Gabon star is familiar with the Premier League, having made 31 appearances when he played for Newcastle’s arch-rivals Sunderland.
Newcastle will reportedly pay a colossal figure of £84,000 per week over a year contract with them. The report also adds that the finalisation of the deal is expected in the coming weeks.
However, this move seems strange for Newcastle, as Ndong would not represent a significant upgrade for the likes of Isaac Hayden, who has been frozen out of the team following the most recent January window.
While Newcastle will no doubt be happy to sign players on the cheap despite their new-found wealth courtesy of their new majority Saudi Arabian ownership, Ndong seems like a step in the other direction if Newcastle’s goal is to progress higher up the table. Ndong has even failed to get into the Gabon national team recently, with his last appearance coming in late 2021.