Newcastle United are reportedly considering making a free transfer swoop for Olympique Lyon defender Jason Denayer in the summer.
According to the Mirror, Newcastle United are interested in signing Olympique Lyon and Belgium defender Jason Denayer on a Bosman deal when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Denayer, formerly of the Manchester City youth setup, never made a senior appearance for the reigning Premier League champions. After a series of loan spells away at Sunderland, Galatasaray (twice) and Celtic, he signed for Lyon on a permanent deal in 2018. During his time in France, the 26-year-old has flourished, making close to 140 appearances for the Ligue 1 giants.
A mainstay in the Belgian national team, Denayer is set to become a free agent at the end of the season when his contract expires. Given his age and proven pedigree, several top clubs across Europe are eyeing the possibility of snapping him up on a free transfer. Indeed, there has been interest from Barcelona as well, while their arch-rivals Real Madrid are also keeping tabs on him.
Now, Newcastle United have set their sights on a Bosman move for Denayer. The Magpies splashed around £90 million during the January transfer window when they brought in a new centre-back in Dan Burn. The ex-Brighton & Hove Albion man has made a substantial impact since coming in, forging a solid partnership with Fabian Schar.
However, Newcastle remain intent on bringing in another quality centre-back in the summer transfer window, which is understandable considering Ciaran Clark is out of favour at the club. At the same time, Federico Fernandez recently turned 33 and is no longer a first-choice option.
Sven Botman remains on the agenda for the Tynesiders, but they are keeping their options open due to the competition for the Dutchman’s services. To that end, Denayer has also emerged as a possible transfer target for Newcastle. The Magpies had been tracking him ahead of the January transfer window and could now make a swoop for him in the summer.
RMC Sport also reported that Lyon are finding it hard to reach an agreement with Denayer over a new deal, and an exit in the summer looks like a possibility.
