With football taking an unprecedented break, Newcastle United have been using the time to re-watch clips of OGC Nice midfielder Wylan Cyprien, with an eye on a summer swoop.
Cyprien has been in fine form for Les Aiglons this season, netting seven goals and grabbing three assists in just 20 Ligue 1 starts.
Newcastle are no strangers to the French market, having plucked a plethora of players from the division over the years - most notably the likes of Florian Thauvin, Yohan Cabaye, Moussa Sissoko and, more recently, Allan Saint-Maximin.
Saint-Maximin only joined last summer from Nice and, according to ChronicleLive, the Magpies are eyeing up a former teammate of the forward ahead of a potential move in the transfer window.
25-year-old Cyprien has been on Newcastle's radar for some time, with Steve Bruce keeping tabs on the Frenchman back in January, although no move materialsed. Aston Villa did make an approach, however, but Cyprien turned down the move and opted to remain with Patrick Vieira's side. Everton are also credited with an interest.
While there is no football at present, Newcastle scouts have continued to monitor his ability throughout the season, with head of recruitment, Steve Nickson, and his team watching over Cyprien's recent performances via the club's video system.
A midfielder is thought to be high on Bruce's list of priorities with Isaac Hayden unsettled in the area and the futures of Sean and Matty Longstaff still up in the air. The brothers are attracting attention from outside of St James' Park and indeed England, while contract extension talks have stalled.
How much Newcastle would need to stump up for Cyprien's services is not known, but he has more than a year left on his current deal in the south of France and it's thought that Nice aren't keen to let him go. Whenever the transfer window does open it is expected to be a busy one in the north east, with the belief that Bruce would like to bring in four or five players.
He recently said: "In terms of windows, you only have five opportunities to change the team alone. The summer and then in the winter when very little happens."
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