Newcastle United have been linked with a move for Brighton defender Dan Burn.
The club have found it a big challenge to sign a central defender this month, and are now cutting it very fine indeed.
A lot of time has been spent chasing the likes of Sven Botman and Diego Carlos.
Although you can never say never, it is looking highly unlikely any of those marquee names will be coming to the club in this window.
Newcastle are seemingly setting their sights a little lower, with Seagulls defender Burn now apparently a target.
The Daily Mail claimed yesterday that Brighton rejected an £8 million bid for the 29-year-old.
Burn is actually a boyhood Newcastle fan. The Magpies will surely be hoping that might prove significant as they seek to prise him away from the Amex Stadium.
Burn has been with Brighton since 2018, joining from Wigan Athletic.
So far he has clocked up 85 appearances for the club.
He is known for being a pretty solid defender. Not the quickest, given he has a 6ft 7in frame to carry about, but certainly extremely efficient aerially.
Burn actually caught the eye of Toon legend Alan Shearer earlier this season.
Burn was a standout performer in the goalless draw with Norwich City. And Shearer was impressed enough to include him in his Team of the Week that week.
He said of him (via Premier League): “Burn has taken very well to his role in Brighton & Hove Albion’s back three. He made some crucial last-ditch tackles in the goalless draw with Norwich City.”
He made five clearances that day against the Canaries, and also three tackles (via Sofascore).
Dan Burn would be a great addition for Newcastle, but he’d need pace around him
Burn would potentially make for a great addition by Newcastle.
He is a fearsome and physical defender, and he’d get the better of many strikers in the air at least.
HIs biggest weakness would probably be that lack of mobility.
If the club end up getting him in, it will be important for someone else to come in who complements him.
That means somebody who has a good turn of pace.
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