Summary
Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor has provided an update on Newcastle United's central defence pursuit.
The side are looking to add more options ahead of their first Champions League campaign in a decade.
What is the latest Newcastle United transfer news?
Manager Eddie Howe has made his stance clear on the situation, stating "You never quite know. You think you’ve got the perfect squad and you get five or six injuries. I’d love one more player, I’d love one personally. Then I think we’d have the ideal depth then. We may have to be creative. It depends on the deal. It’s difficult because it depends on injuries before the end of the window.”
Earlier on in the window, Football Insider reported that the Magpies were plotting a move for Sporting defender Goncalo Inacio. The Portuguese international was wanted by a host of top clubs including Liverpool and Manchester United, but Newcastle were trying to get the deal done for under his reported €60m (£51.5m) release clause. As it stands however, nothing has materialised on that front.
Football Insider has also reported that Newcastle are planning to hijack Tottenham Hotspur's move for Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba. The German side are demanding £50m to sell the defender, and it seems the Tyneside club are willing to match that according to the report. Spurs have been interested all summer long and are planning to step up their pursuit after signing Micky van de Ven.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Taylor stated that whilst Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen is the "kind of gem" that the Magpies should be looking to sign, the Tyneside outfit are unlikely to meet the Eagles £50m valuation:
He said: "I think that is where they should be looking. That kind of gem that’s not going to be signed by the top six clubs, but someone who could come in, and everyone would say, 'I don’t know why others didn’t go in for him'. Newcastle have done that a few times, like with Bruno Guimaraes.
Even some of the players that they’ve got now like Joelinton who is suddenly rated by everyone. I think that’s the kind of situation that Andersen could present that if he went to Newcastle, he would grow in stature. At the same, they obviously do have Sven Botman as well, and I think Fabian Schar is probably the one that needs to be replaced. But I don’t see Crystal Palace selling unless they receive about £50m.”
Is Joachim Andersen a good signing?
Andersen would be a fantastic pick-up this summer for the Magpies/
The Danish international was a regular at the heart of Palace's defence last campaign, making 32 appearances and recording an average rating of 6.96. The defender is one of the better build up phase centre-halves in the league, attempting 64 passes per 90 and completing 79% of them. The defender is also a fantastic deep defender, winning 2.81 aerial duels per 90 and sitting in the top 4% for clearances per 90 in the Premier League last season.
The defender, who has been labelled as "sensational" in the past, could form an incredibly strong partnership with Dutch defender Sven Botman, with the two sharing very similar statistical profiles according to FBref.
