Newcastle United ‘explore’ deal for £40m Bundesliga star after failing with ‘club-record offer’
Newcastle United are keen to land a centre back before the closure of the summer window
To describe the 2024 summer transfer window as hugely underwhelming would be an understatement for most Newcastle United fans, who are still waiting for a marquee breakthrough or at the very least a signing that offers Eddie Howe an improvement on the starting line-up from last season.
So far, the two stories of the summer have been a failed attempt to land former Fulham centre back Tosin Adarabioyo, who chose Chelsea over St James’ Park - and a long-running but equally frustrating attempt to try and sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace.
Throughout the summer, journalists from Sky Sports, The Telegraph and The Athletic have all remained confident that there would be a breakthrough in the Guehi saga at some stage. The England ace has just two years remaining on his Palace deal and is reportedly reluctant to sign a new contract at this stage. But after four failed bids, including a reported club-record offer of £65m plus £5m add-ons deal being turned down, it looks increasingly likely that the Magpies will walk away from that deal, leaving them scrambling about for centre back options in the final hours of the window.
This summer the likes of Joe Gomez, Logan Costa, Trevoh Chalobah, Edmond Tapsoba and Axel Diasi have all been mentioned as potential options, but as it stands it appears the most likely option is RB Leipzig ace Mohamed Simakan, according to reports from Sky Germany.
Simakan is 6ft 2inc French centre back that came through the academy of Strasburg but it is in Germany with RB Leipzig where has really made his name.
Since moving to Germany in 2021, Simakan has racked up 85 league appearances and has starred for his team in the last three European campaigns helping them to the Champions League knockout stage on two occasions while also reaching the semi-final of the Europa League.
Simakan has been lauded in Germany for his versatility and is capable of playing both as a right back and a centre back which would be particularly crucial if Kieran Trippier was to depart late in the window.
Sky Sports Germany reporter Philipp Hinze claims that Simakan is a priority target for Newcastle if the Guehi deal falls through and understands he is valued by RB Leipzig at around £33m to £42m.
However, as it stands, the most concrete interest is coming from Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, who have over a month extra to sign the player, with their deadline not closing until 4 October.