Al-Ahli 'pushing to sign Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin'

Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin has reportedly attracted interest from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli.

The 26-year-old has been tipped to depart St James' Park as the Magpies look to balance their books to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.

Newcastle have forked out in excess of £250m on new signings since the Saudi-backed takeover was completed in November 2021, including the £55m spent on midfielder Sandro Tonali this summer.

Manager Eddie Howe recently acknowledged that his side are having to work to "a very strict budget" this summer, suggesting that first-team players could be sold to free up funds for further additions.

Saint-Maximin still has three years left on his contract in the North East, but it is thought that the Magpies view the Frenchman as one player who they could command a substantial fee for this summer.

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According to Middle Eastern news outlet Alkass, Al-Ahli are in negotiations with Saint-Maximin and hope to win the race for his signature this summer.

A separate report from talkSPORT claims that Newcastle are hoping to sell the winger to generate funds for their pursuit of top targets including Leicester City's Harvey Barnes.

The Magpies are believed to be leading the race for 25-year-old Barnes, who is valued between £35m and £40m.

Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is also said to be high on their list of targets, and a recent report claims that they have submitted a club-record £82m bid for the Georgia international.

Saint-Maximin starred for Newcastle in their opening pre-season friendly of the summer, scoring in a second-half fightback as the Magpies came from two goals down to win 3-2 against Gateshead United on Saturday.

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Howe was full of praise for the winger after the match, telling reports as quoted by i: "I love Allan, I've said that many times.

"You saw his quality, when he went to his best position as a left winger I thought he was excellent. He took his goal really well, he's come back in a good place mentally. I'm very pleased with him."

Asked if Newcastle could conduct business with Saudi Arabian clubs due to their ownership connections, Howe added: "Anything we do will be in Newcastle's best interests".

Saint-Maximin's skillful dribbling ability and explosive pace has caught the eye of many since he joined Newcastle from Nice in the summer of 2019.

However, the Frenchman is yet to establish himself as a prolific attacker in front of goal, scoring just 13 times and providing 21 assists in 124 games across all tournaments, including just one goal and five assists in 25 Premier League matches last season.