Newcastle United appeared to have settled on their next defensive target.
The Magpies had a rough transfer window 12 months ago, spending it chasing Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, only to be ultimately left empty-handed.
Now they’ve set their sights on the Bundesliga to fill the vacancy left open from last year.
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Newcastle United turn to Bundesliga for Guehi replacement target
There had been talk of the Magpies reigniting their interest in Guehi this summer, with Palace likely more malleable owing to the centre-back’s contract situation, but reports elsewhere suggest the 24-year-old prefers Liverpool.
Newcastle still have a gap to fill, however, and they believe they’ve found their man.
According to Africafoot, Newcastle have launched a bid for Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba.
Eddie Howe’s side are going in heavy, reportedly tabling an €50m offer to the side now led by former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.
The report goes on to reveal that Tapsoba is not strictly a back-up option to their failed Guehi pursuit, as they have been tracking the Burkina Faso international for a couple of seasons.
Die Werkself are believed to view Tapsoba as critical to their future plans, but such a substantial offer may prove difficult to ignore.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Newcastle need to bolster their squad this summer after a difficult window last year, and Tapsoba looks a great option.
A key part of Leverkusen’s title-winning squad last season, he also comes with experience in the Europa League and Champions League, the latter of which the Magpies will be competing in this year.
As such, they need quality throughout the squad to allow Howe to rotate around a hectic schedule, and defensive reinforcements like Tapsoba will play a key role in that.
Tapsoba is valued at €35m, according to Transfermarkt.
