Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe is keen to bring in a new defender at St James’ Park and he could be available in January due to his contractual situation at his current employers, according to reports.
What’s the latest news involving Newcastle?
The Magpies were embroiled in some high-profile transfer pursuits over the course of the summer and were rebuffed in an ambitious approach to try and bring in Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella, according to CaughtOffside.
The report states that the Italy international could be available for around £77 million next year amid further interest from Liverpool and Chelsea in his signature.
Football Insider report that Newcastle United are close to handing Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes a new contract in the North East, which would make him the best-paid player in the history of the club. The 25-year-old currently earns £120,000 per week on the books of Newcastle United and is set to receive a whopping £200,000 per week contract renewal, with a breakthrough believed to be close in negotiations.
Guimaraes has been a key player for Newcastle United since arriving on Tyneside, registering ten goals and six assists in 61 appearances across all competitions for the Magpies, as per Transfermarkt.
Times Sport have also claimed that new Newcastle signing Harvey Barnes is said to be mulling over a potential international allegiance switch from England to Scotland after growing frustrated at his lack of opportunities under Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate.
Scotland are on the verge of qualifying for EURO 2024 and Barnes, who is eligible due to his grandparents, could be tempted by the possibility of working under Steve Clarke in Germany next summer representing the Tartan Army.
Who could Newcastle United look to sign?
According to Football Insider, Newcastle United have an active interest in Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly and are keen on striking up a move for the defender, who is also on the radar of Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
The Cherries may be forced to cash in on Kelly in January due to his contract at the Vitality Stadium being set to expire next year; however, interest from Premier League clubs would ensure Bournemouth were able to recoup a fee, with only foreign clubs able to sign players on a pre-contract agreement. Howe is also said to be a big fan of the player.
Kelly, who has been hailed as “incredible” by former Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil in the past, has featured 119 times for Bournemouth across his time on the South Coast, registering two goals and seven assists, as per Transfermarkt.
As per FBRef, the Bristol-born defender has excelled in comparison to his positional peers across Europe’s top five divisions in the art of clearances, making an average of 4.14 per 90 minutes in the last 365 days, putting him in the 99th percentile for this metric.
90min state that the Magpies could look to bring in Kelly in January as a solution to their injury problems in defence, which have affected both Fabian Schar and Sven Botman, magnifying their need to add some solid depth to Howe’s rearguard to avoid being caught short, making this one to watch.