Newcastle United and Man Utd ‘very interested’ in moving for ex-Chelsea star who is expected to leave La Liga

Newcastle United returned to winning ways as they recorded a comprehensive 3-0 victory away to North East rivals Sunderland in the FA Cup. The result marked the Magpies’ first victory over the Black Cats since 2011 and ended a nine match streak without a victory on derby day.

In the build up to the fixture, Eddie Howe had described the game as a chance to reboot his team after a series of sub-par performances at the end of December. Newcastle will hope that this win is the catalyst to fire them back into the European race, but it is also thought that the club will delve into the January transfer window to avoid a repeat of the problems that hindered them earlier in the season.

Howe’s team have struggled to match the strong defensive standards that made the team so hard to beat last term and a large part of that can be attributed to a mixture of fitness and fatigue. The Magpies adjusted to the demands of European football and the long-term absence of the now fit and available Sven Botman also weakened the team’s backline. Howe has just three main centre backs at his disposal in Fabian Schar, Botman and Jamaal Lascelles, while left back Dan Burn can fill in at centre back when called upon.

The North East giants are looking to strengthen this area by adding a player with European experience, according to reports from TEAMtalk. But the outlet also adds that the Magpies are likely to face strong competition from Premier League rivals Manchester United.The player thought to be on Newcastle’s radar is former Chelsea defender and experienced Danish international Andreas Christensen whose days at Barcelona appear to be numbered.

Christensen was a product of Chelsea’s academy who made a total of 161 appearances in all competitions during a successful 10-year-stint with the club. The 27-year-old was a dependable part of the backline who lifted the Champions League, FA Cup and Europa League during his stay. He joined Barcelona in 2022 and was a member of the team which lifted their first league title in four years - making 23 league appearances and forming part of Europe’s best backline last season.

Christensen was used heavily during the second half of last season, but has since slipped down the pecking order, behind the likes of Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde and Inigo Martinez, while the impressive Eric Garcia could be offered a route back into the first team in the summer after an excellent loan spell with high-flying Girona.

Spanish outlet Sport claims Barcelona will look to sell some of their squad players to help balance the books and Christensen is thought to be one that is available.

Both Newcastle and Manchester United have struggled defensively in comparison to last season and in theory Christensen should be a signing with little risk due to his vast experience of playing in the Premier League already. The 68-time Denmark international is under contract at Barcelona until the summer of 2026, but could move in January to boost his chances of playing in Euro 2024. Christensen is hoping to line up against England in his team’s second group stage game, which is sandwiched between clashes with Slovenia and Serbia.