Sky journalist claims Saudi consortium are trying to bring French international to NUFC

If there's one name that's been constantly linked with a move to Newcastle United over the past six or seven weeks, it's Ousmane Dembele, with a host of Spanish papers regularly reporting on our 'interest'.

Given his awful recent injury record and likely reluctance to play for a side struggling at the bottom of the Premier League, I've found it hard to believe.

However, Sky Sports reporter Fabrizio Romano insists that we are showing interest in the Barcelona winger, saying an enquiry has been lodged as he approaches the final six months of his current deal at the Nou Camp.

Here's what the journalist had to say when speaking on Rio Ferdinand's Youtube channel this week:

“He wants a super big deal, a super big new contract and this is why Newcastle is enquiring about him.

"I say ‘enquiring’ because they have not made any official proposal yet because they have no director of football.

“So to go into this process, to do an official proposal, they will need something else.

"They have some intermediary working around the club, that is speaking with people close to Dembele, so it’s true that they have an interest.”

When fit he's an outstanding talent, but I struggle to see this for a couple of reasons.

A loan move is not possible due to the fact he's out of contract at the end of the season - and that seems the only realistic deal given a permanent transfer could see him signing up for a club who could soon find themselves in the Championship.

Yes, a cut-price fee could be possible before he becomes a free agent next summer, but he'd demand crazy wages for a player that's not started a game in over six months.

Also, could someone with his recent fitness record and complete lack of game time really fit into a side that will need to bust a gut every week in a bid to stay up?

In many wats it'd be an incredible coup, yet it just feels like the wrong player at the wrong time and highly unlikely for all sorts of reasons.