As the world was watching Netherlands' dismantling of Spain, Lee Ryder of The Chronicle was dutifully filing reports about players that Newcastle United has been linked to for months, consequently years. The most recent rumbling concerns striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who spent last summer courting Joe Kinnear before choosing Borussia Dortmund.
Ryder cites reports in France that have Dortmund making PEA available for €8 million, a cut-rate price compared to the €13 million they spent to acquire him last year. I haven't been able to find any French reports, which doesn't mean there aren't any, but it would be nice if somebody could answer a few burning questions. Why, after Chelsea showed interest in Aubameyang earlier in the summer and were told to go away, would Dortmund suddenly make him available for such a low price? Why, with Robert Lewandowski leaving for Bayern Munich, would BVB be so eager to let go of last season's 16 goal scorer? Why, given recent history, would we expect Mike Ashley to actually meet anybody's asking price, no matter how low?
PEA would be a most welcome addition to the Toon squad, but we've gotten our hopes up over him before, and there's no reason at all to believe that this is a realistic possibility. Still, it's nice to dream, huh?