Newcastle United are set to face competition from Ligue 1 champions LOSC Lille for the signing of Everton defender Mason Holgate in January.
According to a report from Fichajes, Newcastle United will have to battle it out with reigning French champions LOSC Lille to sign Everton centre-back Mason Holgate in the upcoming January transfer window.
Holgate started at the Barnsley youth academy and made his way to Everton in the summer of 2015. The Englishman made his first-team bow for the Toffees in August 2016 but has had to bide his time to become a regular in the side. The 25-year-old had a short loan stint at West Bromwich Albion in 2019 and has made 120 appearances for Everton so far, scoring two goals and registering four assists.
Even though Holgate has often found himself behind Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina in the pecking order, the former England Under-21 international has done fairly well when given an opportunity. Considering that he has featured just nine times this season, starting only five Premier League games, clubs are lining up to offer him a way out of Goodison Park in January.
Newcastle United have shown an interest in securing Holgate’s services in the January transfer window as they look to lift themselves out of the drop zone. The Magpies are currently 19th in the Premier League standings and have the worst defensive record in the competition, having shipped in a massive 42 goals from their 19 matches thus far.
So, manager Eddie Howe is intent on addressing the issue by bringing in a new centre-back in the January transfer window. And while Holgate would not be a star signing, the 25-year-old would offer something different to the table, with his recovery pace and abilities with the ball at his feet.
With 100 appearances in the Premier League, the Englishman also provides proven pedigree at this level, meaning there is unlikely to be a need for an initial adaptation period, something that a signing from a different league would require. At 25, he also has his best years in front of him and can be a long-term addition, especially with the likes of Fabian Schar, Ciaran Clark, Federico Fernandez, all being 30 or older.
But Newcastle will have to stave off competition from Ligue 1 champions Lille to sign the Everton star. The French giants have had a disappointing first half of the season and are sitting eighth in the table, conceding the second-highest number of goals among the teams in the top half of the table.
With there being question marks over the future of Sven Botman, who interestingly is a target for Newcastle United, Lille are looking at defensive reinforcements in January, with Holgate emerging as an option.
Everton, on their part, could be willing to offload their defender amidst a shortage of transfer funds heading into the January window. It remains to be seen who among Newcastle and Lille make a move to sign Holgate in the coming weeks.
