Newcastle ‘closely monitoring’ promising young French defender amid rival Prem Diego Carlos bid

Newcastle United are ‘closely monitoring’ a young French defender amid concern over their pursuit of Sevilla’s Diego Carlos, it has been reported.

The Saudi-backed hierarchy at St James’ Park have been moving in on Carlos in recent days. The 28-year-old is said to have handed in a transfer request to move to the Premier League. However, it may not be the Magpies that he is joining.

According to Sky Sports, one of their rivals have matched their £30m bid for the Brazilian centre-back.

The club remains unnamed at the time of writing, though there are only a few who could possibly splash that amount of cash.

It is claimed in the report that there has also been an offer submitted from a Serie A side. But this is believed to be lower than the other two.

Losing out on Carlos would be another crunching blow for the Toon in the January transfer window. They do have their next target potentially lined-up, though.

French outlet L’Equipe have detailed how there is interest from Tyneside in 20-year-old defender Christopher Wooh.

However, they cast doubt over whether he would be a signing for this month or in the summer.

Wooh made the step up from Ligue 2 to join Ligue 1 side Lens last summer. And his performances since then have clearly been eye-catching.

Diego Carlos submits transfer request amid Newcastle rumours

Diego Carlos submits a transfer request to Sevilla as defender wants Premier League move

He’s made just seven appearances in the French top flight this season. But he’s started three of their last five matches in all competitions.

Lens tied him down to a four-year contract in 2021, but the report notes that Newcastle have ‘very significant resources’.

He looks very much like a signing for the future, albeit a very promising one. Partnering him with the experienced Carlos could prove to be a wise move, but they must first get that deal done.

Newcastle tempt Bundesliga giants

Meanwhile, Newcastle have entered transfer talks for Bayer Leverkusen defender Mitchel Bakker, according to reports.

Bakker, a Netherlands under-21 international, could be the left-back signing that the Magpies are searching for after missing out on Lucas Digne.

He joined Bayer Leverkusen from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer and has started 12 games in all competitions for the club, contributing one goal and three assists.

Although he signed a contract until 2025 when moving to Germany, according to the Daily Mail, Newcastle are discussing a deal for Bakker that could give Leverkusen a quick profit on their £8.5m investment.

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