Real Madrid are reportedly waiting for Moussa Sissoko to hand in a transfer request at Newcastle before making a formal offer for the French international midfielder, a bid that is expected to come before the end of the week.
According to AS, Real want Sissoko to make the first move and formally tell Newcastle that he wants to leave. That will give the Spanish club the upper hand in negotiations and serve to push down the apparent £35m price tag that has been put on the player's head.
As Los Blancos were capturing a record 11th Champions League title last season, Sissoko was reeling from a Premier League relegation - one of the most guilty parties in a Newcastle team that often looked disinterested and significantly underperformed as a result.
However, a very strong Euro 2016 with France, including an incredible individual display in the final against Portugal, has put Sissoko into this situation that he surely could not have dreamed of only two months ago.
As part of the proposed deal that will take the 26-year-old to the Bernabeu, it is thought that two players could head to England in the opposite direction.
The Newcastle Chronicle cites further sources in Spain to claim that the Magpies will be offered 21-year-old midfielder Marcos Llorente (picture above)and 23-year-old striker Mariano.
The latter is a Barcelona-born Dominican Republic international who has scored 30 league goals in 48 appearances for Real's B team over the last two years.
Llorente, meanwhile, has already played for Real's first team having made his debut last season. He's played regularly for the B team since 2014, while his father and grandfather have both played for the club, and his great uncle is Bernabeu legend Paco Gento.
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