Newcastle line up £48m move for Ligue 1 duo as bargain deals emerge for two long-term targets

Some big claims have emerged from 90min reporter Graeme Bailey over the past few minutes, suggesting Newcastle have returned to Ligue 1 in a bid to bolster our attack.

He reports that we are 'ready to push ahead' with a double swoop for Marseille striker Bamba Dieng and Lyon's Lucas Paqueta.

The piece states that Dieng was on our radar in January but could now leave for a cut-price fee of around £15m after becoming one of many to fall out with new boss Igor Tudor.

As for Paqueta, Bailey reports that 'sources close to the situation' believe Lyon would now accept around £33m for the 24-year-old - and it seems that's a price Newcastle are willing to pay for Bruno's best mate after being told to pay a premium for Premier League targets such as James Maddison, Jack Harrison and Anthony Gordon.

Leeds and Everton are expected to compete with us for Dieng's signature and Arsenal have also been tracking Paqueta, but it seems the club are hopeful of bringing the Ligue 1 duo to St James' Park.

Big claims, but two deals that would make plenty of sense if the prices quoted in the piece are correct. Graeme Bailey has got a few wrong, yet it's worth mentioning he was the first to the Hugo Ekitike interest back in January and the first to say a deal was off just last month; which counts for something when he's reporting on two fellow Ligue 1 talents here.

We shall see!