Newcastle United are expected to bid imminently for Toulouse centre back Christopher Jullien, according to French outlet L’Equipe.
The newspaper reports that the Magpies’ interest in the 6ft 4in centre back has intensified of late, with that interest soon to be confirmed with an official offer.
Breaking | Newcastle United have in recent hours intensified contacts with Toulouse defender Christopher Jullien – a bid is expected imminently. More follows. (L'Éq)
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) August 6, 2018
The 25-year-old would solve a problem position for Newcastle, with Rafael Benitez keen to bring in a new partner for captain Jamaal Lascelles following Florian Lejeune’s injury.
Jullien signed a contract extension with Toulouse just last summer, having joined them from German side Freiburg in 2016. He is valued at £5.4million [Transfermarkt].
Good move for Newcastle?
As mentioned above Newcastle have been in the market for a centre back following Lejeune’s injury, and Jullien makes as much sense as anyone else. The Magpies have a mixed track record when it comes to Ligue 1 recruits in recent years, but Jullien is very experienced for his 25 years. He played 36 times for Toulouse in all competitions last season, even captaining the side for a run of games at the start of the season. He would appear to be a pretty good choice to partner Lascelles on paper, but you never really know how players are going to adapt to the frenetic pace of the Premier League. Having someone like Lascelles alongside him would definitely benefit the Frenchman, though, and he would most certainly plug a gap for Benitez’s side.
This is Futbol rating: 7/10
Likely to happen?
Newcastle need to solidify their interest with an official bid now. There isn’t much time left in the transfer window so the Toon need to get moving if they’re to complete this deal. In theory there’s nothing really preventing the Magpies from securing Julien’s signing, so we’ll have to wait and see how this one plays out.
This is Futbol rating: 5/10