Back in June, we released an NUFC Blog exclusive on Newcastle’s interest in Tino Livramento and then Southampton teammate Armel Bella-Kotchap.
Two months on, the club are scouring the market for a right-sided centre-back after sealing a deal for Livramento; a player Dan Ashworth attempted to sign during his time at Brighton.
On the subject of Ashworth, we’ve been told by a source close to the club that he’s put Bella-Kotchap’s name forward during recruitment meetings. The 21-year-old is expected to leave Southampton and has a £21m relegation release clause in his contract, making him an affordable option.
With the club keen to bring in a right-footed centre-back with pace, the imposing but athletic German international ticks several boxes and would be considerably cheaper than Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba and Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen; two leading targets who are currently valued at around twice the price of Bella-Kotchap.
However, Newcastle may need to act fast if they wish to pursue a deal, with Borussia Dortmund showing serious interest in bringing the former VfL Bochum star back to the Bundesliga.
Eddie Howe is a big fan of Andersen, believing his Premier League experience, ability to create from deep and similar style to Fabian Schar makes him an ideal option to compete with the Swiss international. That being said, Crystal Palace are currently demanding £40m for the Danish international; a fee Newcastle have no intention of paying for the 27-year-old, no matter how highly Howe rates him.
As a result, Newcastle are naturally exploring potential alternatives and weighing up their options, as a host of leading centre-back targets may prove to be beyond our budget this summer unless we can raise funds by getting Ryan Fraser, Jeff Hendrick and Isaac Hayden off the wage bill.
Howe is thought to have some reservations about Bella-Kotchap, who showed a mixture of huge promise and defensive naivety in his debut season in the Premier League at St Mary’s, but Ashworth is a big fan of the Paris-born defender; who Brighton were tracking before his move to Southampton 12 months ago.
With a £21m release clause still active and Newcastle forced to be ‘creative’ in the final few weeks of the summer transfer market, a cut-price move for the German may be one to watch.
