Brentford striker Yoana Wissa reportedly wants to move to Newcastle to continue the club's rich history with French-African players. Wissa, 28, was left out of the squad for Sunday’s 3-1 loss at Nottingham Forest, and he continues to push for a move.
He’s since removed all association with his current club from his Instagram account. The DR Congo international, who was born in Northern France, has until September 1 to finalise a move when the summer transfer window expires. However, it appears he only has his heart set on one destination and isn’t entertaining interest from elsewhere.
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According to Sky Sports News, the striker is keen to follow in the footsteps of three other French-born players who starred at St James’ Park. He’s said to have named Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse, and Hatem Ben Arfa as the trio behind his transfer desire.
He also has his heart set on the club’s famous No.9 shirt, which Cisse previously wore. However, Wissa is being made to wait for his move, with Brentford reportedly turning down a £40million bid from Newcastle on Wednesday.
It’s the second offer to have been rejected, with Tottenham now also interested. The club was scuppered by Arsenal in their bid to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, so they do appear to have the funds available for Thomas Frank to try and reunite with the player.
Ba signed from West Ham in 2011 and scored 29 times in 58 games, famously starring in a 3-0 win over Manchester United. The Senegalese striker also formed a potent partnership with international team-mate Cisse, whose strike from the touchline against Chelsea has gone down in Premier League folklore.
Midfielder Ben Arfa spent five years in the North East after moving from Marseille, making 86 club appearances. He won 15 caps for France, although his father had previously represented Tunisia.
However, Wissa’s ambitions to emulate all three stars now hinge on the North East side upping their offer. Otherwise, the player, who scored 19 Premier League goals last season, faces the prospect of being in limbo until January.