Newcastle United’s apparent pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby ‘doesn’t make much sense’, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Magpies have been linked with a move for the highly-rated 22-year-old in recent weeks as they look to continue their progress on the pitch following their Saudi-backed takeover.

What is the latest news involving Newcastle?

According to SPORT1 reporter Patrick Berger, Newcastle, Manchester United and Arsenal are interested in signing Diaby, who is believed to have a €60 million (£50.1m) price tag.

The four-cap France international arrived at the BayArena from boyhood club Paris Saint-Germain back in July 2019 after finding game time hard to come by.

Since then, Diaby has gone from strength to strength, cultivating a reputation as one of the most promising attacking forces in the Bundesliga.

In 117 appearances for Leverkusen, the 5 foot 7 forward has registered 34 goals and 32 assists across all competitions, firing Gerardo Seoane’s charges to third place in the top-flight standings.

And it seems as though Diaby’s eye-catching exploits could earn him a move back to one of European football’s elite-level clubs in the summer transfer window.

What has Jones said about Diaby?

Newcastle became the richest football club in the world following the arrival of their new owners last year and have been credited with an interest in a host of intriguing stars as a result.

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However, Jones has doubts over whether current talisman Allan Saint-Maximin and Diaby would be able to work well together in the same side.

He told GiveMeSport: “I wonder if him and Saint-Maximin are really going to play in the same team. It doesn't make much sense to me that you would have both of those guys and try to find space for them.”

Could Diaby and Saint-Maximin work together?

According to Transfermarkt, both Diaby and Saint-Maximin have played the majority of their games throughout their careers as a left-winger.

On top of that, WhoScored rank their dribbling ability and eye for key passes as their two main strengths while also listing their defensive contribution as one of their biggest weaknesses.

There is perhaps, therefore, a strong argument to be made that Diaby and Saint-Maximin are too similar to work effectively in the same starting XI.

Eddie Howe and Newcastle must surely contemplate whether the two skilful widemen would be a hindrance or deadly combination at St. James’ Park before splashing out a sizeable fee on Diaby’s services.