Newcastle turn to Dutch striker after Lacazette setback

A senior Newcastle delegation travelled to France to discuss a potential £19m deal for Lacazette with Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas, but were unable to strike an agreement.

As a result, the Magpies’ recruitment team are set to rekindle their interest in Dost, another long-standing target who has scored seven Bundesliga goals with Wolfsburg this season.

Newcastle made a number of inquiries about Dost in the summer, but opted not to firm up their interest after they were quoted a price tag of more than €15m and made aware of the 26-year-old’s reluctance to leave the Bundesliga.

It remains to be seen whether anything has changed on that score, but with the Magpies languishing in the Premier League relegation zone after failing to score in their last three matches, there is an acceptance that the acquisition of a new striker is essential.

With Lacazette seemingly out of the equation, Marseille’s Michy Batshuayi having signed a new contract at the Stade Velodrome and lingering worries over the fitness of QPR striker Charlie Austin, who remains Newcastle’s leading domestic target, the Magpies hierarchy will spend the next couple of days sounding out the possibility of signing Dost.

The Dutchman has been in good form this season, leading the line for a Wolfsburg side that are currently seventh in Bundesliga, three points behind fourth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach.

With a place in the last-16 of the Champions League to look forward to, Wolfsburg will be understandably reluctant to lose Dost, particularly as another of their forwards, Nicklas Bendtner, has expressed a desire to move before the transfer window closes.

However, Newcastle officials are hopeful of being able to persuade Wolfsburg to do business, and having being angling for a fee of around £9m in the summer, there is an acceptance they might have to go slightly higher to land Dost this month.

Persuading the striker to join a club languishing in 18th position in the Premier League could be difficult, although Holland’s failure to qualify for this summer’s European Championships could work in Newcastle’s favour as Dost does not have a tournament place in his national side to protect.

If Newcastle receive any indication that Wolfsburg might be willing to enter into discussions, they will attempt to discover what Dost would want in order to move to Tyneside.

They attempted to make a similar move with Lyon and Lacazette, only to swiftly conclude that there is very little chance of being able to land the Frenchman in the current transfer window.

The 24-year-old has long been one of the Magpies’ leading targets, and the club considered signing him in the summer, only for Lyon’s valuation to force them to look elsewhere, a search that eventually took them to Aleksandar Mitrovic.

However, their admiration for Lacazette’s qualities has not disappeared, and having watched the striker score six Ligue 1 goals this season, they opted to step up their interest with a trip to France.

Aulas was willing to discuss the possibility of Lacazette leaving this month, although the Lyon president has consistently rated his club’s leading asset at a much higher value than the £19m that French sources claim Newcastle wanted to discuss.

Even if a deal could be agreed, however, Lacazette has indicated he has no desire to move to Tyneside as he fears that switching leagues halfway through the season could damage his prospects of playing for France in Euro 2016.

Lacazette has won ten senior caps for France, but is not regarded as a certainty to be included in Didier Deschamps’ final 23-man squad for this summer’s tournament.

His performances in the next four months will be crucial to his prospects of representing his nation on home soil, and he regards joining a club embroiled in a Premier League relegation battle as a regressive step.

Newcastle will continue to monitor Lacazette’s position, but if they are to strike a deal with a Ligue 1 club this month, it is more likely to be with Bordeaux over midfielder Henri Saivet.

The Magpies are hoping to strike a €4m deal for Saivet, a 25-year-old Senegal international who can play in a central midfield position or on the wing.

A former team-mate of Yoan Gouffran, Saivet was left out of the Bordeaux squad for their French Cup victory over Frejus St-Raphael last weekend.

Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday have joined Wolves in the race to sign out-of-favour Newcastle defender Mike Williamson.

Williamson impressed during a loan spell at Wolves earlier this season, and Kenny Jackett is keen to tie up a permanent deal for the centre-half, who is due to become a free agent in the summer.

Newcastle will accept a cut-price fee of around £250,000, but their willingness to sell the 32-year-old has alerted Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal, who is now attempting to engineer a deal of his own.