Newcastle United finished last season in fifth position and have secured a Champions League spot for the next campaign. However, their path to a top-five finish wasn’t easy, as the backline was hit by a number of injuries that caused a lot of tactical disadvantage to manager Eddie Howe. Magpies defender Jamaal Lascelles was on the sidelines for the whole of last season and didn’t appear even once, whereas Sven Botman and Lewis Hall missed 13 games each.
As a result, Newcastle have made the signing of a new centre-back a priority in this transfer window. The Magpies have been linked with players like Marc Guehi, Nathan Collins, and Giorgio Scalvini, among others, although these are just rumours at this point. In addition to these names, Newcastle appear to have set their eyes on another highly rated centre-back.
Christian Falk has confirmed on Caught Offside that Newcastle are interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba. The Bundesliga insider has said:
"Newcastle have not yet submitted an offer for Edmond Tapsoba. Newcastle have shown interest in the defender, as Juventus have for Granit Xhaka,” “However, the problem Newcastle (and any interested club) are facing is that the centre-back has a release clause of €100m [£86.2m]. This is a lot of money, and I don’t think Newcastle are prepared to pay this. “More to the point, if Leverkusen are committed to the approach they’re discussing internally, they won’t sell him cheaper. So, I think he will stay at the BayArena. But let’s see what Newcastle are prepared to put on the table."
Newcastle interested in signing Edmond Tapsoba
Tapsoba played a major role under former Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso. He was a regular in the 23/24 Bundesliga-winning invincible Leverkusen team. In the last season as well, he appeared in 46 matches in all competitions for the club.
The Burkina Faso international could be a major signing for Newcastle if they do manage to bring him in. However, Tapsoba’s release clause might be a major stumbling block in the way of a transfer, as €100 million is a significant amount of money for a centre-back.
Newcastle have other areas to strengthen as well, and spending that much on just one position might be straining for the club’s finances. That said, the amount could realistically come down if there are negotiations in the future. However, the extent of any reduction will only be known when Newcastle make a formal approach.