Newcastle United have identified Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back Evan N’Dicka as their latest defensive target following disappointment in the pursuit of Sven Botman.
The Lille centre-back was seemingly the Magpies’ first-choice option to revamp their defence, but the French side refused to part ways with him in January, and AC Milan have since beaten Eddie Howe’s side to the punch when it comes to securing his services this summer.
AC Milan have not changed their plan on Sven Botman: advanced deal and work in progress to reach full, total agreement with Lille. Botman’s now waiting to join Milan. ?? #transfers
Milan will also proceed in talks with Divock Origi’s agents in the next days. ⤵️ https://t.co/wYHR2Pcu8B
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 22, 2022
And, while Newcastle have been on an inspired run of form since the turn of the year, that has seen them consign the relegation zone to a distant memory and jump into the top half of the Premier League table, reinforcements this summer are still necessary, especially in defence.
As such, N’Dicka would be a shrewd option, with the French centre-back having just one year left to run on his contract in Germany and therefore being available on the cheap this summer.
The club’s board member for sport, Markus Krösche, recently hinted at the need to sell players before they departed as free agents, which will only strengthen the Magpies’ hand.
‘If the players do not extend their contracts, the situation automatically arises that we have to sell’, he revealed.
It is thought that a bid of around 25 million euros would be enough to see a deal go through should Eddie Howe decide that he is their man.
N’Dicka in European action
And Howe and co. will have the perfect opportunity to see their rumoured target against Premier League opposition as West Ham and Eintracht Frankfurt clash in the semi-finals of the Europa League across the next fortnight.
N’Dicka will miss the first leg through suspension, after picking up a red card in the dying stages of their win over Barcelona, but will be eligible for the second leg and will be keen to impress.
The Hammers go into the games looking to continue their hunt for their first European silverware since 1964-5, while the German side are looking for just their second trophy since the turn of the millennium.
Read more:
Arsenal take advantage of Manchester United’s implosion and Newcastle excel in hot or not: Matchday 33
RB Leipzig vs Rangers betting tips: Europa League semi-final first leg preview, predictions and odds
This article was edited by
Josh Barker.
Newcastle’s latest videos
Norwich City 0 Newcastle United 3 | EXTENDED Premier League Highlights
10 minutes of highlights from Newcastle United’s 3-0 win over Norwich City at Carrow…
2022-04-24T00:01:07Z
Norwich City 0 Newcastle United 3 | Premier League Highlights
The best of the action from Newcastle United’s 3-0 Premier League win over Norwich…
2022-04-23T21:00:04Z
Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 33 | 59 | 80 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 33 | 63 | 79 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 32 | 40 | 65 |
| 4 | Arsenal FC | 33 | 12 | 60 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 33 | 18 | 58 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 34 | 2 | 54 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 34 | 8 | 52 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 33 | 4 | 49 |
| 9 | Newcastle United | 34 | -15 | 43 |
| 10 | Leicester City | 32 | -4 | 42 |
| 11 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 34 | -11 | 41 |
| 12 | Brentford FC | 34 | -8 | 40 |
| 13 | Southampton FC | 34 | -16 | 40 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 32 | 2 | 37 |
| 15 | Aston Villa | 32 | -4 | 37 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 32 | -30 | 33 |
| 17 | Burnley FC | 33 | -16 | 31 |
| 18 | Everton FC | 32 | -21 | 29 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 33 | -36 | 22 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 33 | -47 | 21 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 22 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 17 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 16 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 14 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 12 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 11 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 10 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 10 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 10 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 10 |
| Smith-Rowe, Emile | Arsenal FC | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 9 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 9 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 9 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 9 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 9 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 8 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 8 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 8 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 6 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 6 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 6 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 6 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 6 |
