Newcastle United are already trying to sign one leader in Lloyd Kelly, and now they could be targeting another.
The Magpies are being heavily linked with signing Lloyd Kelly on a free transfer from Bournemouth, with the 25-year-old now Eddie Howe’s top centre-back target.
It has been claimed that Newcastle United are the favourites to secure his signature, with Howe seemingly on course to be reunited with a player he signed when he was Bournemouth manager.
Kelly has gone on to become Cherries captain, and has previously described himself as a ‘leader‘. That is a quality that Howe will admire, and it should make him a good fit at St James’ Park if he really does join the Magpies.
Newcastle United targeting another ‘leader’ this summer
And it looks like another one of Newcastle United’s summer transfer targets has the same attribute.
The Magpies were linked with signing Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest in January, with Toon officials keen admirers of the attacking midfielder.
A deal did not materialise due to Newcastle’s financial limitations, but a summer move is still a possibility. The Athletic have reported that the club are continuing to track Gibbs-White, describing him as ‘one to watch’.
What Ben Foster recently said about Morgan Gibbs-White
And with Newcastle set to follow up on their January interest in Gibbs-White, the latest comments about him from Ben Foster are suddenly very interesting.
The retired goalkeeper has been speaking to the Premier League YouTube channel about the Nottingham Forest star, after he was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Season Award.
“He deserves to be in for the nominations because he’s had a fantastic season following on from last year,” he said.
“I remember him signing for Nottingham Forest from Wolves and I remember thinking that’s a lot of money for potential, that’s all it is. I think Wolves will be kicking themselves a little bit because what he’s turned into has far surpassed probably what they thought and what a lot of people thought. He’s proved the doubters wrong.
“He really is that leader. For 24-years-old, he really is that leader already. He’s making tackles, getting forwards, going backwards, getting balls into the box. I love it when he does that tackle and gets up and gets into the crowd. And for a team like Forest, you need that 12th man.
“He’s going to be key for Forest. They need to keep him fit between now and the end of the season.”
PSR makes Gibbs-White deal even more appealing for Newcastle
Foster believes that Gibbs-White is already a leader at such a young age, and that should make him ideal for this ambitious Newcastle United squad that has often been described as a band of brothers.
Gibbs-White would fit right in, while there will be a feeling from Toon fans that the club can take advantage of Forest’s financial situation.
They have been stung by profit and sustainability this season, and were recently docked four points for breaking the rules.
Now they could be punished again with the next accounting period looming, meaning they need to cash in on one of their top players. And they have got no one better than Gibbs-White, which means he might need to be sold before the end of June.
There is an opportunity for Newcastle to do a deal for Gibbs-White this summer, and it would be great if they seized it.
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