According to some dubious reports in Italy, Newcastle are ‘preparing a €10m bid’ (£8.8m) for Genoa centre-back Koray Günter.
The former Galatasaray defender is currently on loan with Serie A side Hellas Verona, but Calciomercato.it claim that we’re now preparing a January bid after club scouts were impressed by the 25-year-old defender.
That said, there’s several reasons why this latest link should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Aside from the fact certain Italian outlets are notoriously unreliable when it comes to transfer gossip, it would make little to no sense for us to sign yet another centre-back.
Yes we tend to play three centre-backs these days, but we currently have SIX capable options in this area – Lascelles, Schar, Lejeune, Dummett, Fernandez and Clark.
Why would we want another one? It’s not like Günter would come particularly cheap, and, at 25, he’s hardly a young prospect who’d be seen as ‘one for the future’.
The Chronicle recently credited us with interest in young Marseille talent Boubacar Kamara, suggesting we may well be in for another centre-back after all, but I’d be shocked if we prioritised this area in the new year if our woes in front of goal continue.
