Newcastle in pole position to land “extraordinary” ace

Newcastle United fans will be loving life at the moment watching their side with the Magpies an exhilarating watch in attack.

The entertaining Tyneside outfit convincingly put Manchester United to the sword last time out in a 2-0 victory, whilst December also saw them put four past a hapless Ipswich Town and three past a leaky Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Therefore, it might not be that high up the priority list for Newcastle to bolster in attack this month, with new defenders reportedly on their agenda instead.

Newcastle in pole position to land “extraordinary” defender

As per a recent report by Caught Offside earlier this week, Howe’s men now find themselves in pole position to land AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori, with the ex-Chelsea man eager for a return to English shores.

A deal could be clinched for a fee in and around the £31m mark according to the report, with it being well known now that the Tyneside outfit are on the hunt for some new options at centre-back, having also been linked with rising RC Lens star Abdukodir Khusanov recently.

In Tomori, however, Newcastle would land a star that knows the Premier League well over snapping up a promising youngster, with the Englishman once even hailed as “extraordinary” by ex-Rossoneri executive Ivan Gazidis when at the peak of his defensive powers starring at the San Siro.

He could well strike up an effective partnership with Lewis Hall if a switch to St James’ Park is agreed, as the 20-year-old continues to impress for the Toon at left-back.

What Tomori could offer Newcastle

Before delving deeper into what the £31m target could offer Howe’s side in the centre-back department, it goes without saying at this moment in time that Hall has the left-back spot nailed down.

Last time out, the former Chelsea youth product managed to shut out the Red Devils with ease, having won four duels to keep the likes of Rasmus Hojlund quiet for the despondent hosts and registering the assist for Alexander Isak’s opener.

Whilst Howe will be content with the progress Hall is making, Tomori entering the building could shake up the centre-back spots, with Fabian Schar’s suspension after the win at Old Trafford leaving the Magpies light on their feet in this area of the pitch.

Even when Schar is available, Tomori would want to stake a claim for a consistent starting spot, with his stay in Italy going swimmingly until his minutes started to deplete this campaign.

Looking at his numbers from last season in Serie A, Tomori and Hall are very similar in their strengths, with both players in question unafraid to get involved in an attacking capacity if needed, as seen in the Milan man’s four league goals coming up from the back next to Hall’s two assists.

Moreover, both figures together could go on to be a feared duo when glancing at their ability to win duels and recover balls for their respective sides, with Tomori even more chomping at the bit to succeed if a deal was to occur considering his Chelsea stint ended up falling flat.

With Dan Burn not getting any younger too at 32 years of age, it does make sense that Howe and Co are prioritising new blood in the heart of defence this January. Just imagine what a partnership of Tomori and Hall could look like on that left-hand side…

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