Newcastle United are believed to be keen on signing two Premier League players worth a combined £75m to replace Fabian Schar and Dan Burn.
Newcastle transfer rumours
Newcastle’s defensive issues have been well-documented of late, in terms of Eddie Howe having a dearth of options at centre-back, due to long-term injuries to Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles.
For that reason, they have been linked with a move for AC Milan ace Fikayo Tomori, with the Englishman considered a strong option to come in at the heart of the defence.
At the other end of the pitch, Botafogo forward Igor Jesus has also been mentioned as a potential target for the Magpies in one of the upcoming transfer windows. The 23-year-old is thought to be wanted by Arsenal as well, though, so Paul Mitchell may well have a job on his hands getting a deal over the line.
Bournemouth attacker Antoine Semenyo is reportedly wanted by Newcastle, too, being seen as an upgrade on Miguel Almiron out wide, with the latter’s time at St James’ Park arguably on the verge of reaching its conclusion. It still appears that defenders are the primary targets, however, following a fresh update.
Newcastle eyeing £75m Premier League duo
According to Caught Offside, Newcastle are “closely monitoring” Wout Faes and Nikola Milenkovic from Leicester City and Nottingham Forest respectively, with the pair worth a combined £75m.
It is claimed that the Magpies are “undecided” over whether to hand Schar and Burn new deals at St James’, with their current contracts expiring at the end of this season. For that reason, they could be replaced by their fellow Premier League counterparts.
Leicester and Forest are expected to demand approximately £33.4m and £41.8m for Faes and Milenkovic respectively, in what would represent expensive deals.
This is a big decision that Newcastle have to make, considering what stalwarts Schar and Burn have been in recent years, making a combined 306 appearances for the club. Both are now in their 30s, however, so having them sign extensions would be risky, in terms of being ageing figures who could drift past their peak in no time at all.
For that reason, the Magpies could be entertaining the idea of bringing in Faes and Milenkovic in 2025, with the pair proving to be influential centre-backs at their respective clubs.
The former has played every single minute in the Premier League so far this season, averaging a whopping seven clearances per game, which is more than any Newcastle player, with Burn topping the pile with 4.9.
Meanwhile, Milenkovic has been a dominant performer for Forest, winning an average of 3.3 aerial duels per match in the league, and playing all 90 minutes of his side’s famous 1-0 victory away to Liverpool back in September.
Newcastle may regret losing £15m ace who is now playing better than Gordon
Newcastle United never got the best out of this star.
ByKelan SarsonOct 14, 2024
While many Magpies supporters would likely be content to see Schar and Burn sign new short-term deals, given their consistency, next summer may be the right time to add younger blood to the squad. At 26 and 27, Faes and Milenkovic could tick that box.
