CSKA Moscow interested in Doumbia return after Newcastle loan

Newcastle United looks increasingly unlikely to exercise a clause in Seydou Doumbia's loan to make his stay permanent after the forward appeared to visit his former club, CSKA Moscow, on Sunday.

The Ivorian has made just three appearances since his deadline-day move from AS Roma, and the Newcastle Chronicle's Lee Ryder reports that he is unlikely to feature again for the Tyneside club barring an injury crisis.

Doumbia joined Roma from CSKA in January 2015, and after an underwhelming year in the Serie A, he was allowed to leave for Newcastle in a temporary deal. That spell has been similarly unsuccessful, however, and he was left out of the matchday squad for the Liverpool test last weekend while he instead watched CSKA take on cross-city rival Dynamo Moscow in the Russian capital.

"He just came here to say hello to his teammates, with whom he spent the best years of his career," CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky said of the 28-year-old Doumbia, who represented the club over five free-scoring years.

"If it were possible to do a deal then we'd be doing it now, in the dressing room."

Since taking the helm at St James' Park, Rafa Benitez has rotated Ayoze Perez, Aleksandar Mitrovic, and Papiss Cisse in his strikeforce. Newcastle takes on Crystal Palace this Saturday, with the Eagles overseen by former Magpies boss Alan Pardew.