Newcastle sign Aladji Bamba in £34m deal from Monaco to boost midfield options

Newcastle have made Aladji Bamba their fourth signing of the summer after the 20-year-old midfielder completed a move from Monaco for a fee that could rise to £34m.

“I’m very happy to be here,” said Bamba. “I was very excited when I heard Newcastle were interested in signing me. I know about the history of the club and I’ve visited the stadium, which is amazing. I can’t wait to be on the pitch.”

Bamba, who has agreed a five-year contract, is Newcastle’s fourth summer signing but also the fourth who is aged 20 or under. The France youth midfielder – who made 25 appearances for Monaco last season, impressing in Ligue 1 and the Champions League – joins the former Reims goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen (20), the former Hoffenheim winger Bazoumana Touré (20) and the former Ajax midfielder Sean Steur (18). As a natural No 6, Bamba will be expected to compete with Lewis Miley for the midfield anchor role vacated when Sandro Tonali joined Tottenham for an initial £92.5m.

Newcastle’s transfer policy is to sign players aged 24 or under costing, broadly, between £20m and £40m and possessing high resale potential. The idea is to help ensure a club that have recently negotiated a three-year settlement agreement with Uefa after breaching European spending rules remain on the right side of football’s squad investment regulations. “Aladji adds a range of qualities to our midfield with huge potential for growth,” said Eddie Howe, Newcastle’s manager. “His development since breaking through at Monaco has been really impressive and is something we believe we can build on.”

Meanwhile, Howe hopes Bruno Guimarães will be at Newcastle to ease Bamba’s adaptation to Premier League life. The Brazil midfielder is wanted by Arsenal and appears keen to join Mikel Arteta’s team. However, the price is a stumbling block. Newcastle’s reluctance to sell their captain dictates that they have let it be known through intermediaries that they will reject any offer in the region of £70m for a player who turns 29 later this year.

Arsenal have still to make a formal offer and whether they are prepared to go beyond £75m remains to be seen. Much may hinge on whether or not Guimarães returns to Newcastle from a holiday in Brazil as planned next week before joining his teammates at a training camp at La Manga in southern Spain.

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