Newcastle United are on course to sign Lloyd Kelly on a free, and Toon officials are hoping to follow that deal with another free transfer.
With the 2023/24 Premier League season now over, soon-to-be free agents are starting to seriously sort out their future. It has already been confirmed that Lloyd Kelly is leaving Bournemouth, and Newcastle United are hoping to finalise a deal to sign him this week.
He is not the only centre-back that the Magpies are looking at, with Tosin Adarabioyo also a key target.
The 26-year-old is going to leave Fulham when his contact expires, and Eddie Howe’s side have been viewed as the favourites to secure his signature.
However, there is the looming threat of Manchester United, with the Red Devils also interested in signing Tosin this summer.
Tosin Adarabioyo’s transfer preference as Newcastle face Manchester United competition
We did hope that Newcastle could prove to Tosin why he should pick the Magpies over Man United last week, but Howe’s side let themselves down at Old Trafford. They lost 3-2, which ultimately cost them a place in the top six.
But that result and performance does not appear to have hindered Newcastle’s Tosin hopes, with the Northern Echo providing an update on where he could be moving to this summer.
According to the Northern Echo, Tosin is ‘heavily leaning’ towards signing for Newcastle United over Manchester United.
This comes just days after the Magpies finished above Man United in the Premier League, doing so for the first time since 1977. Newcastle beat them in the Premier League table, and now they could beat them to a signing as well.
Swift Tosin and Kelly deals can be great news for Newcastle
With Kelly seemingly set to sign for Newcastle and Tosin apparently not far behind, this could prove to be a very strong and fast start to the summer transfer window.
Given the injuries to Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles, it is vital that Newcastle bring in reinforcements at centre-back. They are on course to do just that, getting two Premier League calibre defenders on free transfers.
That means Newcastle can spend the rest of the summer focussing on other positions, while the fact they are free transfers means that the majority of the budget remains untouched.
Newcastle could get one over on Man United
And if Tosin, who stands at 6ft 5in tall, does pick Newcastle over Man United, it will be great to get one over the Red Devils. They are one of the biggest clubs in the world, yet that is merely based on history right now.
They have not delivered on the pitch for a long time, with clubs like Newcastle and Aston Villa looking to overtake them. Obviously they want to get back to the top under the ownership of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, but their project is nowhere near as far along as Newcastle’s.
The Toon owners have a clear vision and a manager who makes players better. In contrast, it is unclear who will be Man United boss next season.
All of those factors will no doubt be part of the reason why Tosin is currently favouring a move to St James’ Park, and let’s hope that does not change as he prepares to make a final decision.
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