Djibril Sidibe excelled on loan at Everton last season (Getty Imges)
According to Foot Mercato (h/t Chronicle Live), Newcastle United have made contact with AS Monaco over the availability of out-of-favour right-back Djibril Sidibe in the January window.
The 28-year-old had been on the Magpies’ radar back in 2019 but he eventually ended up completing a loan move to Premier League rivals Everton. However, Steve Bruce’s side are ready to dip into the market for the Frenchman once again. As per the report, Sidibe could be available for as little as £7m this month.
Sidibe started his career with Troyes and joined Lille after guiding his boyhood club to top-flight promotion. He tallied 119 appearances over four seasons before switching boats to complete a move to Monaco in the summer of 2016. Sidibe enjoyed a brilliant debut season and featured prominently as Monaco romped home to the Ligue 1 title whilst also making it through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has registered an impressive tally of 6 goals and 22 assists in 124 appearances for Monaco so far. However, he has found himself down the pecking order over the past couple of seasons. Sidibe made a positive impression during his loan spell at Everton in the Premier League last term, contributing with 4 assists in 25 appearances.
Sidibe has continued to struggle for playtime at Monaco this season despite a productive loan spell last time around. The French international has played just over 500 minutes of football in Ligue 1 so far, starting 5 times and making an equal number of appearances off the bench. (h/t Transfermarkt)
Putting things into context, it should be an absolute no-brainer for Newcastle to lure Djibril Sidibe back to the Premier League on a permanent deal this month. A top-quality attacking right-back with plenty of experience at the highest level, a player of his calibre should simply walk into the Magpies’ starting eleven in the Premier League.
Newcastle roped in Jamal Lewis from Norwich City in the summer to bolster their left-back department. While the Northern Ireland international has enjoyed a bright start to life at Tyneside, lack of quality on the other side of the backline remains a pressing concern for Bruce.
The Magpies have three specialist right-backs in their ranks in the form of Emil Krafth, Javier Manquillo and DeAndre Yedlin. However, none of them has been able to convince while the latter is out of contract at the end of the season. That Bruce has been forced to shoehorn Jacob Murphy into a right-back role speaks volumes of the lack of quality in that department. To make matters worse, he too is out of contract next summer.
Newcastle, to the end, can certainly look at Sidibe as their next long-term right-back. The Frenchman showed his quality as an attacking full-back while on loan at Everton last season and would surely represent a massive upgrade on the club’s current options on the right.
It is hard to find good players on the cheap, especially during the January window. Having said that, a player of Sidibe’s quality and experience would be a massive bargain for Newcastle if he is, indeed, available for the reported price tag of £7m. The Frenchman still has plenty to offer at 28 and would undoubtedly offer excellent value for money as far as the Magpies are concerned.