Barcelona defender on Newcastle transfer ‘radar’ as Howe ‘prioritises’ Guehi ‘alternative’
Newcastle United are reportedly interested in signing FC Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen as an alternative to Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi.
Eddie Howe is currently prioritising signing a new centre-back, with Palace reportedly rejecting four bids from Newcastle for the England international.
The Eagles are asking for around £70million and despite the Magpies getting close by offering £65m, an agreement has not been reached.
It is believed that Howe’s side are now contemplating walking away from a deal, despite Guehi being open to joining.
Their need for a new central defender has ramped up in recent days with Fabian Schar expected to miss three games after being sent off for violent conduct against Southampton on Saturday.
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This leaves Howe scratching his head with a trip to face Bournemouth fast approaching. Though Lloyd Kelly was signed last month, it will probably be Emil Krafth next to Dan Burn at centre-back.
It feels unlikely that Newcastle will sign a player this week and start them at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday, but that will not stop them from trying to bring a player in as soon as possible.
Possible alternatives to Guehi have already been identified, with Liverpool’s Joe Gomez and Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah being linked in recent days.
Barcelona star on Newcastle transfer ‘radar’ as Guehi ‘alternative’
However, an interesting option has emerged, with reports in Spain claiming that Newcastle are keen on former Chelsea man Christensen, currently at Barcelona.
It is stated that the Danish international is on the Magpies’ ‘radar’, though Barcelona ‘do not want to sell’ unless they receive an offer to good to turn down.
The report confirms that Christensen is an ‘alternative’ to Guehi and Newcastle are currently ‘sounding strong’ as Howe ‘prioritises shoring up the defence’.
Barcelona might want to keep the 28-year-old but are ‘attentive to possible movements’ with Hansi Flick appearing to prefer other centre-backs in his early days in Catalonia.
The Blaugrana would apparently be willing to sell the Dane for an ‘unrejectable’ fee, believed to be in the region of 30 million euros (£25.6m).
Christensen played 26 minutes in defensive midfield when Barca kicked off the La Liga season with a 2-1 win at Valencia on Saturday.
He played 42 times across all competitions last term, starting 27 times in La Liga.
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