Newcastle interested in signing Odilon Kossounou - Report

There are plenty of issues that need to be addressed by Eddie Howe and sporting director Ross Wilson this summer when it comes to squad depth.

We’re expecting to lose a good chunk of our defence, with each of Fabian Schar, Kieran Trippier and Emil Krafth all at risk of leaving now their contracts are up for renewal at the end of the season.

And with how many injuries we’ve had across the backline so far this term, we’re crying out for more reinforcements, which brings us to a familiar name that's been linked with a summer move to St James' Park.

Atalanta star linked again

Last month, The Mail's Craig Hope reported that we were scouting a number of defenders from the Serie A: Atalanta’s Odilon Koussonou and Honest Ahanor, Brooke Norton-Cuffy from Genoa and Tiago Gabriel from Lecce.

And now, according to Africa Foot, it's reported that we are 'particularly interested' in signing Ivory Coast international Odilon Koussonou.

He’s made 24 appearances for Atalanta this season, including every game in their Champions League campaign, with it suggested that the 25-year-old could be available for around €25m this summer.

Koussonou has also been on the radar of other Premier League clubs, with Crystal Palace linked with his signature towards the end of last year. With Marc Guehi having departed in January, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they re-entered the market for a centre back this summer.

Is another centre-back needed?

Even if Schar was to be offered a new deal, we'll only have the Swiss star alongside Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman and Dan Burn in terms of centre back options.

But we have lost Jamaal Lascelles to Leicester, and Emil Krafth has likely already played his last game for us due to another injury setback.

Howe is adamant about having six midfield options to pick and choose from, and it’s been our saving grace as we compete across multiple competitions at once.

It wouldn’t be too much of a reach to say that the defence as a whole needs similar treatment: an extra centre back is an essential, and a fullback like Krafth who can deputise in the heart of the defence would be a very welcome addition to the team.