Mahamadou Doumbia insists, ‘I’ll be ready’ if a big club comes in for his signature amid recent links to Newcastle United, among others.

Mahamadou Doumbia is already seen as one of the promising footballers coming out of Mali. The 21-year-old, a midfielder by trade, has been in a good vein of form for Royal Antwerp over the past 18 months, which has already attracted the attention of some of the big clubs.

Marseille, Strasbourg, Juventus, Napoli and Newcastle United are keen on the emerging midfielder. Doumbia can play as a box-to-box midfielder as well as in the attacking role if needed, which emphasises his style and ability to play in different roles.

When asked about the reported interest from all those clubs mentioned earlier, Doumbia, via , said, “Only Strasbourg is wrong.”

“We’ll see. I’ve let my agents know I don’t want to hear anything about it until it becomes concrete. When that happens, I’ll be ready.”

The report also points to the potential asking fee, considering Royal Antwerp paid €1 million for him 18 months ago, and now they reportedly seek at least €15 million for the African midfield sensation.

Doumbia said, “If a club pays that for me, then I’m worth it.”

The links to Newcastle United are a bit interesting and coincided with the recent injury to Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff’s departure. While the Magpies may not need immediate midfield reinforcements as a necessity, the idea of adding someone like the African midfield sensation would emphasise their efforts to keep building their squad for the future.

Whether they are seriously interested in Doumbia remains to be seen, but Newcastle United are certainly among those interested in the midfielder. For now, the Magpies are focused on resolving key issues with their squad and want to make the best out of the transfer window, including signing a striker. Benjamin Sesko is their priority target to replace Alexander Isak, with the latter keen to leave and join Liverpool.

Newcastle United seeks a huge transfer fee to sell Isak, which may further complicate the market for Liverpool. Either way, the Magpies are also focused on other areas, such as central defence, with Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke a reported target.

There might be other requirements, but for now, they are focused on the striker situation. Once the dust settles on the Sesko and Isak sagas, Newcastle United could potentially turn their attention towards targets like the African midfield sensation Doumbia.