Reliable journalist: Newcastle midfielder starts talks with Euro giants over big-money transfer

By Will Butcher

Newcastle's Euro 2016 star Moussa Sissoko could be on his way out of St James' Park, after staging talks with Italian giants Inter Milan, according to a reliable journalist.

The 27-year-old, who celebrated his birthday last week, was linked with Inter by Sky Sports transfer expert Kaveh Solhekol on his Twitter account.

The Evening Chronicle's chief football writer Lee Ryder has now claimed, via his Twitter account, that talks between Inter and the France international's representatives have taken place.

Ryder has said that a bid is yet to be made, and it could take a fee of £38million to secure the services of the versatile attacker, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes.

Sissoko is contracted with Newcastle until June 2019, but is looking for an immediate move back to top-flight football, rather than fighting for promotion in the Championship.

The Toon's number seven was the outstanding player for his team at Euro 2016 as they lost 1-0 to Portugal in the final, after emerging as a regular for the runners-up in the tournament’s latter stages.

Sissoko was a mainstay for the Magpies last season, and was named captain by Rafa Benitez for the final matches of the campaign.

However, he scored just one goal from 39 appearances and 3,402 minutes of action, a poor return for a player with 35 caps for France and one who plays so high up the pitch.

In other Newcastle transfer news, Benitez has been told how much he will need to pay to land this Premier League defender.