Report: Dan Ashworth held talks in January with 22-year-old defender who Newcastle have been monitoring

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Newcastle United are keen on signing a new defender in the summer with their Sporting Director Dan Ashworth believed to have held talks with one target in January.

Ashworth is set to leave the club to join Man United as soon as the two clubs can agree on a compensation fee, but one of his last tasks at Newcastle was discussing a possible deal with a long-term target.

Newcastle have been monitoring the situation of Sporting Lisbon defender Goncalo Inacio since 2022 and now a report from Anfield Watch claims that Ashworth was in talks with him in January.

Inacio close to joining Newcastle

Inacio is a very exciting talent and has been for the last couple of seasons in Lisbon where he has developed his craft playing regularly in the first team and is now in very high demand.

According to the report, Liverpool have now also made contact regarding a move for the 22-year-old defender as they prepare for a new era once Jurgen Klopp leaves.

It’s not quite clear how close Newcastle came to signing Inacio or whether it was just scoping out to see if a move would be possible in the future given the lack of funds in the the January window.

It does appear that Inacio will make the leap to a top team very soon with the likes of Arsenal also rumoured to be interested, though there is yet to be an offer placed for his services.

Newcastle want to bring in new star defender

Newcastle have several positions which they would like to upgrade in the summer and a central defender is definitely one of them despite Fabian Schar’s brilliant performances this season.

The Swiss international has probably enjoyed his best campaign as a Newcastle player and it’s not outrageous to claim that he’s bene the best defender in the team this year given his ability and level of consistency.

However, Schar will be turning 33 this year and Newcastle may be looking ahead to the future when thinking about possibly bringing in another centre-back into the mix.

They currently only have captain Jamaal Lascelles as a backup option, though Emil Krafth can also fill in there, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Magpies were looking to add to their depth in that position for next season.