Newcastle United forward Allan Saint-Maximin has been tipped to remain at the club beyond the current campaign by Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie.

The mercurial 25-year-old has been linked with a shock move away from St. James’ Park in recent weeks despite being an extremely popular figure amongst the fan base.

What is the latest news involving Saint-Maximin?

Saint-Maximin became an instant hit at Newcastle after arriving in a deal potentially rising to £20 million from OGC Nice back in August 2019.

Since then, the former France Under-21 international has registered 12 goals and 14 assists in 86 appearances for the Magpies across all competitions, providing plenty of entertainment with his dazzling dribbles along the way.

However, according to the Daily Mail, Newcastle are now willing to cash in on their talismanic attacker during the summer transfer window.

It’s claimed that Eddie Howe’s charges would accept a £50m offer for Saint-Maximin, with the proceeds from his potential departure set to go straight back into their transfer budget.

The skilful winger only signed a new contract until 2026 as recently as 2020, and his £93,000-per-week wage packet makes him one of the club’s highest-earning stars.

Yet it seems as though Saint-Maximin could be deemed surplus to requirements as Howe plans an extensive revolution in the North East.

What has Downie said about Saint-Maximin?

Despite the reports, Downie has revealed he ‘can’t see’ where Saint-Maximin would move to in the Premier League.

He told GiveMeSport: “I just can't see it. It's a difficult one because I was actually speaking to a couple of my colleagues about this earlier, and it's difficult to find a place for him.

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“It's difficult to find a club for him because I don't think he's good enough, or perhaps has the work ethic, for a Man City, Liverpool, or that kind of club.

“And then you look at the teams mentioned, Wolves, Everton and Villa. I mean, they would kind of be a sideways step for him.”

Who could replace Saint-Maximin?

The Daily Mail name Aston Villa as one of Saint-Maximin’s potential suitors, before stating that Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson has been identified as a possible heir.

Johnson has scored 14 goals and provided a further seven assists in 39 Championship outings this term and could be available in a cut-price deal when the market reopens after entering the final 15 months of his contract.

Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby is also believed to be on Newcastle’s radar following an outstanding couple of years with the German outfit.