Brentford will travel to Nottingham Forest without frontman Yoane Wissa this weekend, head coach Keith Andrews has confirmed.
The Bees have already lost previous boss Thomas Frank to Tottenham Hotspur this summer, Christian Norgaard to Arsenal and Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United, but could yet sanction another big sale.
Wissa is reportedly unsettled in West London and seeks a move to St. James' Park. So far, Brentford's negotiating position has rendered an agreement difficult to reach, although there is hope from Newcastle and the player that a transfer can be concluded before the September 1 deadline.
Yoane Wissa left out versus Nottingham Forest
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Premier League kick-off, new Bees head coach Andrews admitted he would not be selecting Wissa in his squad to face Forest.
“We’ve made a decision that he’s not [going to play],” he said. "It’s been a very disrupted pre-season with the [Newcastle] interest. The message is clear, I want him in the building, I want him to be part of the first-team squad. I see that moving forward but I'm very understanding of his situation.
"We have to focus on the players that are ready to perform on Sunday and Yoane isn’t in that space," Andrews added, quoted by the London Evening Standard.
Newcastle have seen a £25 million approach for the Congelese international rejected already this summer, however, there is an expectation the north-east club will revive their interest during the final fortnight of the window.
The Magpies are close to the signing of Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey for a fee in the region of £39m, with a further £5m in future add-ons, according to various reports.
Defender Malick Thiaw became the club's most recent addition earlier this week, arriving from AC Milan on a long-term deal.
Any deal for Wissa is understood to be contingent on Brentford sourcing a replacement for the 28-year-old with AFC Bournemouth's Dango Ouattara reportedly of interest to the West Londoners.
The Brentford attacker is valued at €32m by Transfermarkt.
