Newcastle United are reportedly interested in signing Napoli defender Faouzi Ghoulam on loan.
According to Le Buteur, the Magpies are on the tail of the 37-cap Algeria international, who supposedly has a strong chance of leaving Naples this window.
Newcastle have had contact with the player’s agent, but there’s no mention of any official approach as of yet.
Ghoulam has been with Napoli since the summer of 2014 after joining from French outfit Saint-Etienne.
To date he’s clocked up almost 200 appearances for the club, but in recent times he has struggled to nail down a starting spot.
He has Mario Rui for competition, and Elseid Hysaj can also play at left-back.
Le Buteur also mention that Chelsea are also in the mix to land the 29-year-old, although that would probably mean Marcos Alonso and/or Emerson Palmieri leaving Stamford Bridge first.
Ghoulam would improve Newcastle
He perhaps isn’t at the same level as a couple of years ago, but Ghoulam is still a decent full-back, with experience of playing in two of Europe’s top five leagues.
The 2017 Algerian Footballer of the Year appears to need a fresh start, and Newcastle could do with providing competition for Jamal Lewis, rather than using Matt Ritchie as a wing-back.
Ghoulam could really suit playing as a wing-back as he is know for bombing forward and putting in crosses.