Newcastle United are ready to pay a club-record fee to sign Moussa Diaby this summer, after the winger’s recent links to Arsenal.

The Northern Echo report that Newcastle United are lining up a potential club-record summer move for Moussa Diaby, who was one of their key targets last summer and remains of significant interest to them this year.

That would mean paying more than the £63m Newcastle spent on Alexander Isak, and they seem to be willing to do that.

Christian Falk reported earlier this month that Arsenal were still interested in Diaby, and the player’s agents were in contact with the Gunners.

Bild had claimed that Diaby looks like leaving Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, and he’d been offered to Arsenal for a potential move in the upcoming window.

Back in January, Patrick Berger of German outlet SPORT1 reported that Arsenal were very interested in Diaby after the collapse of their deal for Mykhaylo Mudryk.

The Gunners held initial talks with Leverkusen over the transfer, but the Bundesliga side didn’t want to sell him in January.

Newcastle are long-term admirers of Diaby, but in the past, they’ve considered Leverkusen’s demands to be excessive.

The winger is under contract until 2025, so he’s still expected to be an expensive acquisition this year.

Diaby has 12 goals and seven assists this season, bringing him to 47 goals and 44 assists in 159 games for Bayer Leverkusen overall.

The 23-year-old is also a France international, and he can play on either wing.