Two European giants pull out of the race to sign £25m Newcastle target in January

Add as preferred source on Google

Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich have pulled out of the race for Chelsea defender and Newcastle United target Trevoh Chalobah.

Newcastle were always keen on Chalobah but it was Bayern who had been close to signing the defender for £50m in the summer before the deal collapsed.

Now, journalist Florian Plettenberg is reporting that both Bayern and Borussia Dortmund are no longer in the race for the Chelsea man, though Newcastle are still keeping tabs on the injured Chalobah.

Chalobah out of favour at Chelsea

Thomas Tuchel had been a big fan of Chalobah during his time at Chelsea which explains why he was so eager to bring the defender to Munich in the summer.

Since the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino, however, the 24-year-old has fallen behind the likes of Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill, Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile and is looking for way out of the club in January in a bid to find more first-team football.

Chelsea are also looking to offload the centre-back to make some profit from the academy graduate, so a deal would suit all parties if they can find a club willing to pay their £25m asking fee which has been halved since the summer.

However, Chalobah has sustained an injury that may put any potential suitors off with the defender set to make his return at the end of January as reported by Plettenberg: “FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund are both out of the race for Trevoh #Chalobah. Both clubs are not planning his transfer in winter.

“After another muscle bundle tear, the 24 y/o will only be match-fit again at the end of January.”

Premier League teams still in the race

Newcastle are not the only team who still hold an interest in the Englishman. Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Fulham are all also keen and will be monitoring the situation closely prior to the window.

An injury to Sven Botman has sparked a lot of concern amongst the Newcastle fanbase and, alongside a midfielder, it’s been suggested that bringing in a new centre-back should also be a big priority.

Fabian Schar is a strong and reliable character, but it’s fair to say that he’s had his share of battles over the last 18 months and it’s a surprise that he hasn’t sustained any long-term injuries during that time.

Eddie Howe will want to bring in some fresh legs to bolster the defence and avoid a similar situation to where he is having to rely on a 31-year-old Schar and 29-year-old Jamaal Lascelles. Whether that player is Chalobah remains to be seen, but he is certainly still someone of interest to Newcastle.