Tottenham are now close to signing another Newcastle transfer target

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Newcastle United and Tottenham have been strongly linked with moves for the same kind of players this summer.

While the Magpies made light work of beating Spurs twice last season, they are both teams who – all being well – will be challenging towards the Champions League spots next season.

Clearly, Newcastle are already over the line on that front but Tottenham have featured heavily in the top four over the past decade or so, so can hardly be completely written off just yet.

As such, the clubs are touted as landing spots for similar kind of players.

The north London club have already signed James Maddison this summer amid his strong links with a move to St James’ Park and have more recently been linked with reported Newcastle target, Joachim Andersen.

Now, it seems Spurs are closing in on another player on Newcastle’s radar.

Tottenham close in on signing Blackburn defender Ashley Phillips

Indeed, according to 90 Min, Spurs are set to sign Blackburn’s Ashley Phillips.

The 18-year-old central defender is seemingly closing in on an £3m move to the capital and will duly be loaned out in order to aid his development.

The report namechecks Newcastle as one of the interested parties, alongside Liverpool, Manchester United and Everton.

Newcastle have been moving to strengthen their youth ranks during the PIF era, with both Garang Kuol and Yankuba Minteh signed this year alone.

Who is Ashley Phillips?

A product of Blackburn’s academy, the teenager made his senior debut little under a year ago and currently represents the England U19 age group, having previously played for Wales earlier in his career.

In 2021, former Rovers boss Tony Mowbray said of the youngster (via Lancs Live): “”He’s 6ft 4′, he’s fast, mobile and can pass it really well. He can use both feet, he’s composed. Ash is just a phenomenal young boy; if you were to create a defender in the mould of how you would want one, this kid has got every attribute.

“But he is still just a young boy. He needs time, which is why he’s training with the first-team so that he gets confident and used to the level of intensity.”