Newcastle are understood to have made contact with Marseille regarding the availability of Bouna Sarr, though Spanish side Sevilla remain favourites to sign the right-back.
Sarr is expected to leave the French club this summer, having spent five years at the Orange Vélodrome. Marseille have placed a €15m price tag on the 28-year-old, who is said to have attracted interest from a number of sides across Europe.
The Magpies have been forced to place any summer transfer dealings on hold for the time being, with the proposed takeover of the club still awaiting Premier League approval.
However, that hasn’t stopped Steve Bruce – whose future at the club remains unclear – with the Northern Echo reporting that the Toon boss has already initiated contact with the Ligue 1 side about Sarr.
Despite Newcastle lodging their interest, Sevilla remain in pole position to sign the Marseille right back, with a formal offer in the offing. Newcastle are said to be in the market for defensive reinforcements, with the loan move of Inter man Valentino Lazaro unlikely to be made permanent.
Lazaro has started just three league games this season, and Bruce is reluctant to part with the £20m Inter have quoted for the Austria international.
Should a move for Sarr prove unsuccessful, there is a possibility that Inter could allow Lazaro to commit to a further loan spell on Tyneside. The arrival of Achraf Hakimi at Inter appears to have rendered Lazaro surplus to requirements at San Siro.
However, a further loan move to Newcastle seems unlikely with a number of German sides said to have expressed an interest a permanent move for Lazaro.
Bruce has already talked of his desire to keep Tottenham Hotspur loanee Danny Rose at the club next season, though with no news of a completion date regarding the club’s Saudi Arabian-backed takeover, whether the Magpies boss will be permitted to act on his summer transfer plans remains to be seen.
Source : 90min