Amiens Boss Hints At Departure For Magpies Target

Coach Luka Elsner admits Amiens have plans in place to replace Emil Krafth, despite the Ligue 1 club rejecting Newcastle’s initial bid. Amiens are reported to have turned down a £4.6m bid for the Swedish right-back, who cost them just £1.8m to redeem after a successful loan spell from Bologna.

However, the two clubs are thought to be quite close on their valuation of Krafth and an improved bid could see the deal tied up before the Premier League transfer deadline. The 25-year-old is understood to be keen to make the move, although his coach says he has remained professional during the talks.

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“Emil is a great professional,” Elsner told le11amienois.fr. “There are no worries about him and his ability to handle events. For my part, I know there are things going on behind the scenes. Today, I’m on the field and what interests me are the players at my disposal.”

The Amiens boss recognises that he is in charge of a club that cannot stand in the way of players if they are offered opportunities to improve their living and standing in the game. “We are a development club, which will inevitably have to deal with this kind of situation,” he added. “We will also bring in more talent, this is the reality of the club.

The fact that players are being wooed is not a problem in itself. Going forward, solutions have been planned in case of departures and I think we are well equipped to face all possible events.” Amiens signed Christophe Jallet last week and the former Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain right-back appears as a natural solution to succeed Krafth in the Amiens line-up.