Bordeaux manager Willy Sagnol has confirmed the club have reached an agreement with Newcastle United for the sale of midfielder Henri Saivet.
Steve McClaren’s side have been linked with a raft of central midfielders this month in a bid to strengthen their spine, with Newcastle also interested in Swansea’s Jonjo Shelvey.
The Premier League strugglers are now on the verge of making their first signing of the year, after agreeing a deal in principle to sign Saivet, confirmed his manager.
“Newcastle and Bordeaux are agreed on the transfer of Henri Saivet,” the Bordeaux manager confirmed in a press conference.
“Saivet wanted to leave the club and needed a new challenge. He was here for a long time. I gave my agreement to this departure for Saivet.”
The 25-year-old was formally an attacking midfielder but has since developed into more of a defensive midfielder. In fact, Saivet has completed at least 19 more tackles than any other Bordeaux player in Ligue 1 this season (68).
For more stats on Henri Saivet, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
