English Championship leaders Newcastle United are bracing for the prospect of losing Ghanaian winger Christian Atsu at the end of the season.
Atsu is on loan at Necastle from English Premier League leaders Chelsea and is expected to return to the Championship after the AFCON.
However, Newcastle will have to pay top money to retain their man as he has been earmarked as one of the top players to scout at the 2017 AFCON which gets underway on Saturday in Gabon.
Several clubs in China, France, England and Germany have dispatched their scouts to monitor the tricky loanee who has struggled to make the grade at Chelsea.
Since joining Chelsea from Porto, Atsu has been sent on loan to Vitesse, Malaga and Newcastle.
The money-spinning Chinese Super League clubs could also take a chance on the Ghanaian who was named the best player at the 2015 AFCON.