Newcastle United and West Ham are in the chase to sign defender Nicolas N’Koulou from Serie A outfit Torino, according to L’Equipe.
The French newspaper reports that the Magpies are battling it out to land the 28-year-old Cameroon international signature along with the likes the Hammers and La Liga club Sevilla.
The six-foot-tall ace has only recently arrived at the Italian side on a permanent basis after impressing while on loan there last season, but this has not deterred the likes of United, who are keen for the African centre-back to join forces with them at St James’ Park for the upcoming campaign.
Good move for Newcastle?
Yes, possibly. Boss Rafa Benitez is still looking to make a signing this summer, and the centre of defence is undoubtedly a priority for the Spaniard.
N’Koulou has enjoyed a strong season in Italy during his stint at Torino, and he would be the perfect addition to a team who need to tighten up the defence to ensure a consecutive top ten finish.
He is also an established, experienced international who has played for Cameroon since 2008 – an aspect of his game that Benitez should be wanting to exploit.
This is Futbol rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
Yes, it is fairly likely. However, the Toon face stern competition from Sevilla and West Ham and it remains to be seen if they have a stronger interest in the 72-capped international.
Nevertheless, West Ham have already acquired reinforcements in this area, so they may pull out of the race as a result – which would be great news for Newcastle.
United now need to pull out all the stops in order to land a vastly experienced player.
This is Futbol rating: 6.5/10