Last month, the Daily Mail reported that we look all set to submit an £8m bid for Celtic centre-back Kristoffer Ajer should we beat the drop.
A few weeks later, reports in Scotland have named the asking price the 6ft 6′ defender looks set to demand, with The Herald claiming that the Hoop would cash in if a £12m offer arrived.
It would be classic Newcastle under Mike Ashley if we pushed for a cut-price deal, however it could make sense to do so on this occasion as the giant Norwegian is entering the final 12 months of his contract.
Only time will tell if our alleged interest actually amount to a bid this summer, although it seems we will be in the market for a centre-back this summer.
Not only have we switched back to a five-man defence, we have an ageing backline – Lascelles is our youngest at 27 – and uncertainty hanging over the futures of Lejeune, Schar and Fernandez to name a few.
It’s also worth noting that Bruce looked all set to sign Arsenal’s Rob Holding on loan last summer until Mikel Arteta changed his mind, while the BBC revealed that we’d lined up a deal for Ozan Kabak until Liverpool hijacked our January bid.
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