Newcastle United are reportedly willing to cough up €50 million to sign French defensive sensation Benoit Badiashile this summer.
According to a report from French outlet Media Foot Marseille, Newcastle United have been dragged into the mix to sign France Under-21 international Benoit Badiashile from AS Monaco this summer. The Magpies are said to be willing to pay €50 million to secure his services.
At 21, Badiashile is yet another talented centre-back fresh off the production line in France, a nation blessed with an unbelievable pool of central defenders. The French defensive sensation has thus followed in the footsteps of Jules Kounde, Ibrahima Konate, and William Saliba, among others.
Regarded as one of the most promising central defenders in Europe, Badiashile has already established himself as a key member of AS Monaco’s senior squad. To date, he has made 119 appearances for the French club since making his first-team debut aged 17.
The 21-year-old only played 24 Ligue 1 games last term, owing to a hamstring injury. But he proved to be a rock at the back towards the back-end of the season, that pushed Philippe Clement’s side to secure a third-place league finish, enough to compete in UEFA Champions League qualifiers.
So it is hardly surprising that AS Monaco have slapped such a €50 millionvaluation on him, especially when they are not necessarily in need of cash after selling Aurelien Tchouameni to Real Madrid. But a host of European elites, including Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, and Sevilla, have expressed an interest in the highly-rated defender.
According to Media Foot, Newcastle United and Bayer Leverkusen have positioned themselves at the front of the queue for Badiashile. Newcastle, for one, almost signed the towering defender in January, even tabling a bid for the 21-year-old. However, Monaco turned down the offer for Badiashile, who is now keen to test himself on English shores.
Although the Magpies have renewed their interest in the 21-year-old, they are unlikely to bring in another defender this summer after already spending a significant fortune to bring Sven Botman through the door from Lille. It makes little sense unless Howe is thinking about using a three-at-the-back formation next season, in contrast to the 4-3-3 mid-block that he preferred the last term and in pre-season.
Even then, the former Bournemouth manager has plenty of capable and experienced options at his disposal in the likes of Dan Burn, Paul Dummett, and Matt Targett. While Badiashile’s price tag is well within the new owners’ means, Newcastle United do not consider spending lavishly at this stage of their ongoing project due to Financial Fair Play restrictions.
Should Newcastle make a move for the AS Monaco defender, it would be an exciting prospect. But there is no denying that Newcastle would benefit more from putting a €50 million investment into more pressing areas of the squad that are in need of reinforcement.
