After watching Newcastle United’s first friendly of the summer on Saturday, it is very clear that we need defensive reinforcements. And that is despite the fact Eddie Howe used six defenders in his starting lineup against Gateshead.
The Magpies were without three major names at the weekend, with Sven Botman, Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles all unavailable. While Howe had plenty of players to choose from despite their absence, it highlighted a distinct lack of quality in reserve.
We had our first choice left-back at centre-back, while our right-sided centre-back was a man who is yet to make his senior debut.
It was merely our first friendly of the summer, but it did highlight why Howe is looking to strengthen at the back. He wants a left-back and a right-sided centre-back, while there is also talk of a deal for right-back Tino Livramento.
Left-back is probably the most pressing concern, but it looks like Newcastle are about to miss out on another target.
Bournemouth set to sign Milos Kerkez
That is according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who states that Milos Kerkez is close to signing for Bournemouth.
The AZ Alkmaar defender was linked with a move to Newcastle earlier this month, but it then looked like he was going to be on his way to Lazio.
Now the Italian side’s deal has been hijacked by a Premier League club, but it is actually Bournemouth who are swooping in.
Romano has written on Twitter: “Bournemouth are confident to close and seal Milos Kerkez deal today. The agreement is imminent with AZ, talks are progressing well. Kerkez has already agreed terms and accepted the destination. Here we go soon.”
Newcastle struggling to sign a left-back
When Newcastle were first linked with Kerkez, it was stated that Bournemouth were actually the favourites to land the teenager. That is proving to be the case, with the 19-year-old now closing in on a move to the South Coast.
It is another name to cross off of Newcastle’s list, with Howe’s left-back pursuit proving to be rather difficult.
Talk of Kieran Tierney has gone quiet, while Theo Hernandez seemed wildly ambitious. There has been speculation that Federico Dimarco could become the second Italian to join Newcastle this summer after Sandro Tonali, while Antonee Robinson was a target before he agreed to extend his stay at Fulham.
There have been plenty of targets, but deals have proven to be hard to come by or targets have gone elsewhere. That is the case with Kerkez, whose move to Bournemouth is ‘imminent’.
We will see next season whether or not we should have tried harder to land the young Hungary international.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
