Wor Aly?

Could Papiss Demba Cisse soon be followed to Tyneside by yet another import from France? Rumours of our interest in Lyon's Aly Cissokho are longstanding, but according to the player negotiations between the two clubs are now underway.

While Cissokho seems eager to leave his current club, he stopped short of identifying St James' Park as his preferred destination, instead keeping his options open. It's also worth noting that he's a left-back, not the central defender we'd earmarked as a priority. With the Silver Fox claiming that "we're blessed with full-backs", signing another one would be a little curious. That said, he is at least a natural left-footer, unlike all of our other options in his position except Shane Ferguson.