Newcastle United are likely to be one of the most active clubs in the transfer market this summer and are apparently ready to enter talks for one of their targets shortly.
According to CaughtOffside sources with knowledge of the Magpies transfer plans, the club have checked on the situation of Bayer Leverkusen’s brilliant 23-year-old Ivory Coast defender Odilon Kossonou.
It’s believed that Eddie Howe has long appreciated the talents of the centre-back, and the Magpies will enter into discussions with the Bundesliga champions in June.
Newcastle want Odilon Kossounou
The Premier League outfit will need to pay in the region of €30m-€35m euros in order to get Leverkusen to consider selling the player, and they’ll have to move quick as they’re not the only interested party.
Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are also understood to be interested in the player, with each offering Kossounou a different type of opportunity.
It’s worth pointing out that at this stage too that the defender has not responded to Leverkusen’s contract extension offer.
After the African Cup of Nations at the start of the year, he couldn’t get the same amount of playing time as he was used to beforehand, and that appears to principally be the reason why he is open to leaving.
His current contract expires in 2026 and if the right offer comes in during the summer transfer window, the German champions will, reluctantly, allow him to leave.
Given the strength of interest in his services, Newcastle will surely be hoping that their ambition to get ahead of the competition in terms of negotiation will pay dividends.
Though there could be some headroom over and above any initial offer, the last thing that the Magpies will want is to be drawn into an auction.
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