£5m McClaren dud confirms Newcastle exit is close

Jack Wilshere: Midfielder clashed with Henri Saivet

Newcastle midfielder Henri Saivet says he is close to joining Bursaspor on a season-long loan deal.

With the majority of transfer windows around Europe still open Newcastle were hopeful offloading the 27-year-old before the end of the month and Saivet looks set for another spell in Turkey.

Saivet, who has three years left on his contract, spent the second half of last season on loan with Sivasspor and made 12 appearances.

The Newcastle Chronicle claim Saivet is on around £35,000 a week and it’s unclear whether Bursapor will be taking on 100 per cent of the player’s salary, but they have in the past subsidised his wage to get him out on loan.

“I am very happy that I came to Bursaspor, and it was very important for me to be transferred here for my career,” Saivet told BeIN Sport Turkey.

“I will be training with the team after the health check tomorrow. We worked together too, and hopefully everything will be fine.”

The Senegalese midfielder has made just one Premier League appearance for Newcastle and he has no future under Rafa Benitez on Tyneside after signing for Steve McClaren from Bordeaux for around £5million in January 2016.

McClaren claimed he had been watching the player for a while in Ligue 1 before deciding to swoop for the Bordeaux man, but he was sacked just two months after the arrival of Saivet and the player has struggled to get game time since.