"?According to French newspaper "?L'Equipe, Bundesliga outfit Hamburg are lining up a move for recently-relegated Newcastle United's French international midfielder Moussa Sissoko.
The 26-year-old is currently part of Didier Deschamps' France squad, attempting to secure Euro 2016 glory on home soil, and played a part as a late substitute in his side's last-gasp 2-1 opening night victory over Romania on Friday night.
Despite his international pedigree, Sissoko has often seen his commitment to the Newcastle cause called into question by the club's fans, and it is thought that Rafael Benitez would be willing to offload one of the highest earners at the club.
The Frenchman has been linked with moves to London clubs Arsenal and Chelsea in the past. However, Arsene Wenger's side's recent capture of Swiss anchor man Granit Xhaka means that a switch to the Emirates is unlikely, while it remains to be seen how incoming Blues boss Antonio Conte will look to reshape his side.
Meanwhile, Hamburg, who finished tenth in the Bundesliga last season, have put a firm offer of €12m on the table. The bid appears to be more than reasonable given Newcastle's weak negotiating position, in light of the fact that the player wants to leave Tyneside and that the Magpies have recently dropped into the Championship.
Accepting the bid, worth around £9.5m, would see Newcastle make a healthy profit on a player they secured for just £2m from Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse, three seasons ago.
The move came as part of a strategy led by chief scout Tony Carr, backed by Mike Ashley, to plunder the French market for cut-price talent, which brought stars such as Yohan Cabaye to St James' Park.
However, Newcastle are likely to look to the English market this summer, to acquire players with the necessary commitment and Championship experience to succeed during the long, gruelling second tier season they face next term.