Newcastle may have most to gain from handing Sakho a PSG exit
Published:Paris Saint Germain have bold ambitions for the new season and have already set their stall out with the capture of Ezequiel Lavezzi from Napoli, while €46m was unsuccessfully tabled for AC Milan’s Thiago Silva.
A new central defender is almost certainly on the shortlist of Carlo Ancelotti, with faith all but lost in club captain Mamadou Sakho.
Sakho was dropped towards the end of last season and to date there has been no inclination that he will regain his place.
The 22-year-old has been open about wanting to leave if first-team opportunities become limited and does not want to win trophies without having a meaningful impact in the team.
Arsenal and Liverpool were both thought to be in the chase for Sakho last summer, but the Frenchman seemed particularly keen to stay in Paris.
Reported interest has been minimal in the close season thus far, but there is every reason to believe that he could fit in and be a success at Newcastle.
Firstly, the new French contingent at the Sports Direct Arena should be able to help him settle, with Yohan Cabaye, Hatem Ben Arfa and Sylvain Marveaux among the players at the club.
Central defence is also arguably the position where Newcastle need to strengthen, as they were caught short last season when Mike Williamson and Steven Taylor were out injured.
Finally, Newcastle have done a better job than most at finding value for money in the last two years when bringing in new faces and Sakho could be signed for a modest sum.
He was valued closer to the £15m mark last summer, but with PSG clearly not short of money and Sakho not looking in their immediate plans, an offer of half of this figure could be all that is required to secure his signature.
