Newcastle United could be busy this summer.
Indeed, there has been talk of a big rebuild at St James’ Park following a testing season at times.
Quite whether or not the FFP limitations that loom over Newcastle will allow Eddie Howe to completely revamp his squad remains to be seen of course but it seems the defence will be looked at.
The signing of a central defender was understood to have been on the agenda last summer too but the transfer budget ultimately just did not stretch that far.
As a result, the club were believed to have looked at options there even before the long-term injuries to Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles.
In an effort to save money amid the FFP saga, it seems the club are looking to the free agent market.
Two players on that very market and believed to be keen on moving to St James’ after talks.
The two players keen to sign for Newcastle this summer
According to journalist Joel Bland on X, formerly Twitter, both Tosin Adarabioyo and Lloyd Kelly of Fulham and Bournemouth respectively are eager to join Newcastle.
Talks are said to have gone well with both soon-to-be free agents, albeit agent fees could still prove an issue.
However, there is thought to be an expectation that the deals will go through.
“Both players are keen to join #NUFC, informal talks have taken place with both their representatives,” wrote Bland.
“Agent fees the only ‘worry’ as such for both, still expect a deal to be negotiated though.”
Newcastle could have rebuilt their defence without spending a penny
To bring Kelly in seems very wise indeed. Howe has previously talked of how much he values versatility and the 25-year-old is able to operate in both central defence and at left-back.
Given the injuries and the fact Dan Burn has sometimes struggled at left-back while Lewis Hall continues to develop, it looks like a no-brainer.
Adarabioyo, meanwhile, is more of an orthodox central defender but has been hailed as “special” by manager Marco Silva, underlining how valued he is at Fulham.
To potentially beat other teams to his signature feels like something of a coup.
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