Newcastle United have stepped up conversations about the possibility of signing alternative centre-backs to Marc Guehi, in case a deal cannot be agreed for the Crystal Palace defender.
The St James’ Park side have seen multiple bids for Guehi rejected — the latest £60million plus £5m in add-ons, while Palace seek up to £70m.
Although the door is not closed on the 24-year-old England international joining Newcastle, their work on contingency plans has been intensified.
Dialogue is taking place with Bayer Leverkusen over Edmond Tapsoba, a 25-year-old Burkina Faso defender tracked by many leading clubs.
At the same time Newcastle have expressed an interest in France international Axel Disasi, 26.
Tapsoba made 46 appearances in all competitions for Leverkusen last season as the club won the Bundesliga title and reached the Europa League final. He joined the German side from Portuguese outfit Vitoria de Guimaraes in 2020.
Disasi moved to Chelsea from Monaco last summer and made 44 appearances in all competitions last season. The defender missed all of pre-season as he recovered from a summer hernia operation.
Guehi joined Palace from Chelsea in the summer of 2021. He was made vice-captain at the start of 2023-24 and made 29 appearances that season despite missing almost three months with a knee injury, before earning a place in England’s European Championship squad.
He started against Brentford on Sunday and captained the side as Palace began their 2024-25 campaign with a 2-1 loss.
(Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
