Allan Saint-Maximin sends four-word message to ‘phenomenal’ Newcastle target after World Cup win yesterday

By Ben Evans

Newcastle United may no longer have any players at the World Cup, but they’re sure to still be watching the games.

A number of transfer targets have emerged in Qatar, with the January transfer window now just weeks away.

Popular winger Allan Saint-Maximin took to Twitter today to congratulate one potential Newcastle signing.

The 25-year-old Frenchman saw his country reach their second consecutive World Cup final last night.

Morocco’s incredible story unfortunately came to an end, as they suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the world champions.

They earned a huge number of fans throughout the tournament with their performances.

In fact, 90min believe that Newcastle are now interested in their central midfielder Azzedine Ounahi.

Eddie Howe will be keen to add a couple of players to his squad in the upcoming window, although no great overhaul is needed.

One player who has been linked with the Magpies in the past few weeks is Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram.

The Athletic believe Newcastle have discussed internally about signing Thuram, with his contract expiring in the summer.

And Saint-Maximin was clearly impressed by Thuram’s performance yesterday, after he came on as a second-half substitute.

Saint-Maximin impressed with Thuram at the World Cup

Although the pair have never played club football together, they have featured alongside each other for France.

They came through the ranks for Les Bleus at the same time, playing at under-17 and under-20 levels together.

Thuram, who has previously been described as a ‘phenomenal player’, looks set to move on in the near future.

He’s attracted interest from the likes of Arsenal and Real Madrid in the past few days.

However, Newcastle may be hoping that Saint-Maximin personal relationship with Thuram could help them sign him.

Saint-Maximin sent Thuram a message on Twitter after being impressed with his performance.

He simply said, ‘So proud of you’ accompanied by a picture of Thuram next to his father Lillian who won the World Cup with France in 1998.

Thuram has yet to start a match in Qatar, but has made four cameos in the tournament.

Manager Didier Deschamps will be hoping Thuram can help France win back-to-back World Cups on Sunday.