23-year-old told he can leave, amid claims Newcastle want him – journalist

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Newcastle United have been linked with plenty Chelsea players over the past 12 months, and could now turn to the Blues to boost their defence.

Eddie Howe is keen for Newcastle to sign a right-sided centre-back. He wants someone who can compete with Fabian Schar, who enjoyed the best season of his Toon career last time out, forming a wonderful partnership with Sven Botman.

But the Magpies need more depth, and could turn towards Stamford Bridge. It has been claimed that Newcastle are interested in signing Trevoh Chalobah from Chelsea, who was not a regular starter last season.

That could potentially change under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, although a new claim from 90min reporter Graeme Bailey suggests that will not be the case.

Chelsea tell Chalobah he can leave

Bailey has been speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast, and discussed Newcastle’s interest in Chalobah.

“Chalobah is someone who has been sort of told he can leave,” he said.

“He knows he’s not in the picture. There’s a lot of interested parties. He had a lot of interest abroad, but he’s someone who Newcastle have taken an interest in.

“Newcastle’s centre-half situation is interesting. There in this situation where they do want a right-sided centre-back.

“But do they bring a big name in to replace Schar or someone like Chalobah who I don’t think any us would imagine he’d start but a he’s very good backup and someone who within 18 months could start ahead of him.

“Do they go down that avenue? It’s something they are looking at.”

Good option for Newcastle

If the money is right, Chalobah could be a really good option for Newcastle. The 23-year-old has impressed at times in a Chelsea shirt, having made his breakthrough at the start of the 2021/22 campaign under Thomas Tuchel.

But he is not a regular starter, which could see Chelsea cash in on their academy graduate. That would present an opportunity for Newcastle, and Chalobah is a player who ticks a lot of boxes.

First of all, he is a right-sided centre-back, which is exactly what Howe wants. He is also capable of playing right-back, which would be an added bonus. Newcastle are currently looking to enhance that position, but are struggling to complete a deal for Tino Livramento.

Signing Chalobah would kill two birds with one stone, allowing the Magpies to stretch their transfer budget further. He is also the ideal age. At 23, he has good experience and has already impressed in the Premier League, but it is clear that he can get better. That would certainly happen at St James’ Park, as Howe has a glorious reputation of making players better.

But will a deal be possible? Bailey might believe that Chelsea are looking to sell, but they have made it difficult for Newcastle to sign their players in recent memory. On top of that, Chalobah has a contract at Stamford Bridge until 2028, which massively protects his value.