Newcastle have enquired about Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen, but his asking price could be a sticking point in the negotiations.
The Danish centre-back joined Crystal Palace in 2021 from Lyon for £17million after he impressed on loan with Fulham during the 2020-21 season.
He has continued to build a reputation as one of the best centre backs outside the Big Six clubs over his two season at Selhurst Park, where he still has three years remaining on a five-year contract.
That means the Eagles may be able to demand a higher fee for one of their key players, and that could be a problem for Eddie Howe, who has been told by club executives that he has £75million to spend this year.
Starting 32 matches in the Premier League this season while scoring one goal, which notably came against the champions Manchester City last August, Andersen has impressed alongside emerging England star Marc Guehi in the Palace backline.
His talents have been laid to bare this season, helping his side claim eight clean sheets and he appears to now be on Howe’s radar, as the Magpies boss looks to strengthen his side ahead of next season.
One of Newcastle’s biggest problems during the 2022-23 campaign was their lack of squad depth and with a Champions League campaign coming up next season, they will need to both improve and increase their squad to compete in Europe.
It comes as the Magpies have stepped up their attempts to sign midfield player Sandro Tonali, with the Champions League new boys set to bid £50m for the AC Milan 23-year-old.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace have also been looking to sign a new defender, amid concerns that they could lose Guehi pretty soon, with the England centre-back attracting some attention from around Europe.
To lose him and Andersen in the same season would be terrible for their defensive stocks, especially after the Dane was praised so highly at the end of last season by his manager Roy Hodgson, who called the defender ‘excellent’ in his pre-match press conference against Tottenham.