A general view of Newcastle United supporters waiting outside the stadium for news of the latest developments in the sale of the club to the Saudi sovereign wealth fund for 300 million-pound ($408 million) takeover in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England Thursday Oct. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
Newcastle United have made contact with Chelsea as they eye potential alternatives to Marc Guehi, according to a new report.
The Magpies have had to be very careful in this summer transfer window as the club adheres to the financial fair play rules. That has meant that while the club has brought in several new players, they have also had to move players on.
Newcastle United’s Marc Guehi pursuit
Newcastle have so far brought in five new players, one of whom is Lewis Hall, who was at the club last season on loan from Chelsea and has now joined the Magpies on a permanent basis. Other transfers the club has completed have seen them bring in John Ruddy and Odysseas Vlachodimos to bolster their goalkeeping options, and they have also added William Osula to their attack and Lloyd Kelly to their defence.
But while there is over a week left of this transfer window, Eddie Howe and co remain keen on improving their squad, with England and Crystal Palace defender Guehi a top target for the club.
The Magpies are said to have made four bids for the defender already this summer, with their latest bid being around the £65 million mark. The latest was that the fourth bid was still not enough for Crystal Palace, and the South London side rejected the offer. That most recent bid was inclusive of add-ons, but the structure of the deal has yet to be agreed upon with Palace.
Guehi had an excellent summer, as the centre-back stepped up to the plate as England was without Harry Maguire for Euro 2024, and Guehi performed at a level that made him one of England’s best players. The defender is said to be Howe’s number one target for centre-back, but Newcastle could now be looking at alternative options.
Newcastle turn to Chelsea for Axel Disasi
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Newcastle have stepped up conversations about signing alternative centre-backs to Guehi, with Chelsea’s Axel Disasi of interest to the club.
The update states that the Magpies haven’t given up on signing Guehi, but with Palace wanting around £70 million, the club has started plans to look at other options. The Premier League side is said to have expressed an interest in Disasi and by extension making contact with Chelsea, with the player only moving to Stamford Bridge last summer.
Disasi joined Chelsea from AS Monaco, and the centre-back has gone on to make 44 appearances for the club in all competitions, 31 of which came in the league. He missed Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the USA this summer as he continues his recovery from a hernia operation.
The Frenchman is contracted to Chelsea until the summer of 2029, and the 26-year-old is said to be on a weekly wage of £80,000. As well as looking at Disasi, the Magpies have also sounded out Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba, who is said to be being looked at by several clubs from around Europe this summer.
