Newcastle are reportedly launching an attempt to seal the transfer of Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile ahead of some of their Premier League rivals.
The France Under-21 international has caught the eye in Ligue 1 in recent times, with the likes of West Ham and Manchester United also known to have been tracking him for some time.
Newcastle are now working on signing Badiashile for around £35million, with negotiations already underway, according to the Daily Mail.
The report states that Badiashile is being targeted by Newcastle as an alternative to Lille centre-back Sven Botman, who has also long been linked as one of the club’s top defensive targets.
Eddie Howe will no doubt be keen to keep on strengthening this Newcastle squad, with the club under new ownership since their Saudi takeover.
Kieran Trippier has joined from Atletico Madrid this month and one imagines other big names will soon follow.
Botman would’ve been ideal for NUFC, but fans will surely be pleased with Badiashile as an alternative, especially if it means hijacking the deal ahead of the likes of West Ham and Man Utd.