Summary
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Newcastle United's centre-back pursuit.
The club are looking to strengthen their back-line, however, a recent development could stop the pursuit.
What is the latest Newcastle transfer news?
Newcastle have made a number of moves so far this window.
The biggest signing the Magpies have made is undoubtedly the £55m arrival of Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali from AC Milan, but the Tyneside club have also added Harvey Barnes from recently relegated Leicester City and Tino Livramento from Southampton, whilst the side have also agreed a deal with Chelsea to sign youngster Lewis Hall on a loan deal with an obligation to buy.
However, the side do look a little bit short in the central defensive area. Beyond the starting partnership of Sven Botman and Fabian Schar, the Tyneside club only have Jamaal Lascelles as an out and out centre-back option, with Dan Burn able to play the position if required.
Throughout the summer, the Magpies have been linked with a number of central defenders, with Crystal Palace's Joachim Andersen and Benfica’s Antonio Silva being names considered according to the Daily Mail's Craig Hope. However, he believes that those players will sit outside the club's price range at this point in the window.
A more realistic target would be Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba, who according to Football Insider is a name high on manager Eddie Howe's shortlist, with the club considering a hijack on Tottenham Hotspur, who have been interested in the player all summer long.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Romano revealed that Tapsoba, who has been called a "dangerous" player, and Silva are the names that Howe admires, however Financial Fair Play concerns could curtial any potential bid: "I think it’s almost impossible to make it happen because of the Financial Fair Play situation. Edmond Tapsoba and Antonio Silva are two centre-backs that they love. But at the moment they are way too expensive for Newcastle because with the Financial Fair Play situation, it’s complicated. So they would need to sell a player of the same value, and it means someone around €55-€60m, so it’s more than complicated.”
How will Newcastle end this window?
It seems that due to FFP constraints, the Magpies will have to complete loan deals if they want to bring in any more players.
One player being considered is Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney. According to Football Insider the player is open to making the switch to the North East, having fell out of favour at the Emirates following the arrival of Oleksander Zinchenko. According to the report, the Scotland international is eager to make the move as he searches for more regular first-team football. However, there are two real obstacles for Newcastle to overcome to complete the deal. The first is the stiff competition from La Liga outfit Real Sociedad, and the second and more pressing issue is the fact that Arsenal want to sell the defender, whilst Newcastle can only really make a loan deal work, so the Gunners would have to compromise to complete the deal.
Another player being considered is Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips. The 27-year-old has had a torrid time since his £45m switch from Leeds United, with injury problems limiting the midfielder to just 593 minutes last season across all competitions. According to reports, Newcastle are interested in the midfielder this summer as they look to strengthen their squad ahead of their first Champions League campaign in over two decades.