What Edmond Tapsoba has already said about joining a club like Newcastle United after ‘£50m move’

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Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba is again being linked with a move to Newcastle United. 

Tapsoba was linked with Newcastle United in 2024, just as the club were scrambling for a defensive signing following the failed pursuit of Marc Guehi. 

The Burkina Faso international, however, remained at Bayer Leverkusen.

Still, Tapsoba is again on the radar.  

According to the print edition of The Daily Mirror (page 30, Monday 30^th June 2025), Newcastle have made a £50million bid for the 26-year-old, who signed a new contract with the German club in late 2023.

A move to the Premier League, however, may appeal to him. 

• READ MORE: PIF’s 19 Newcastle United transfer signings since completing takeover, ranked

Edmond Tapsoba said he was open to joining a Premier League 

Speaking to The Athletic back in 2020, the defender confirmed he was open to joining a club in the Premier League at some point in his career. 

He had been tracked by Wolves and Leicester before leaving Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes earlier that year, having made the move to Europe from US Ouagadougou to Leixoes in 2017.

“Moving to the Premier League, to a club where I would not necessarily play a lot of games at first, might not be the best idea,” he said.  

“There was also an issue securing a work permit. I have time for England at some stage in my career, I hope. But I am in the right place now.

“Bayer Leverkusen are a team with a lot of talented young players, they bring them through and give them chances. They also play good football – I had watched lots of their matches – and we thought they might be a team who would complement my style of play better at this stage.”

The Mirror’s report also suggests Tottenham are keen on the player, who is said to have an £80million release clause in his contract at Leverkusen.

What is Edmond Tapsoba’s style of play?

Back in 2022, the Bundesliga’s official website compared Tapsoba’s style of play to Jerome Boateng, who won multiple titles with Bayern Munich as well as the World Cup with Germany.  

They said: “Tapsoba has similar traits and such is his eagerness to start forward thrusts, he has often been referred to as a defensive playmaker.”

Last season, Tapsoba ranked within the leading 79 percentile of central defenders to have played in Europe’s big five leagues over the past year in some key passing metrics, as is listed above. 

Newcastle have long been linked with a move and are now reportedly looking to bring him to St James’ Park. It remains to be seen, however, if a deal can really be done this summer.