Newcastle United are reportedly interested in signing Chelsea starlet Lewis Hall as they look to hijack Crystal Palace’s proposed loan move for the highly-rated left-back.
According to Daily Mail, Newcastle United are “exploring” the possibility of a deal to sign full-back Lewis Hall from Chelsea. The Magpies are planning to hijack Crystal Palace’s proposed loan move for the highly-coveted defender.
Crystal Palace were reportedly set to sign the England Under-19 international on a season-long loan earlier this month. As well as this, it had been envisaged that he would put pen to paper on a new long-term, six-year contract with the Blues this summer before heading out on loan to Selhurst Park.
However, that deal has not been completed and has resulted in Newcastle seemingly making a fresh move to lure Hall away from Stamford Bridge on a permanent deal. Eddie Howe is currently in the market for a new left-back.
On Monday, the Telegraph brought news of fresh interest in Kieran Tierney and Marc Cucurella. Newcastle United are looking at potentially signing one of them on loan with an option or an obligation to buy. But it will not be surprising if Howe prefers a young talent with a higher ceiling in Hall.
The 18-year-old Chelsea academy graduate featured 11 times for Chelsea in all competitions last season and was one of the bright spots for the Blues last season despite a poor 12th-place finish, after being promoted to the first team on a full-time basis.
Apart from his marauding runs and superb crosses, he has also caught attention for his versatility. He can play in several positions, including left-back, and can also be deployed as a left-sided midfielder or central midfielder.
The Blues are well stocked at left-back, with Ben Chilwell, Cucurella, and Ian Maatsen set for a more prominent role off the back of an impressive loan spell with Burnley. But Hall is considered one of their most exciting young talents and a future star at the club.
Having spent around £130 million on signing Yankuba Minteh, Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, and Tino Livramento this summer, Howe has reinstated the fact that the Magpies need to be “creative” in order to stay within their Financial Fair Play limit.
Hall’s current Chelsea contract has three years remaining on it. So although the report has not mentioned just how much the Blues would ask for the versatile defender, he certainly won’t come cheap. Ideally, the Magpies would like any loan agreement with an option or obligation to complete a permanent deal next summer if Hall’s season on Tyneside goes according to plan as they look avoid FFP issues.
At this stage, Chelsea are understood to be reluctant to offload the youngster unless on a straight developmental loan, which gives Crystal Palace an edge. But that could well change. With the Pensioners splashing the cash on midfielders Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, they could look to offload an academy player in Hall to earn some pure profit and balance their books.
The full-back comes from a family of Toon supporters and is a boyhood Newcastle fan. So he might be open to a switch if the two clubs can iron out a deal, which surely won’t be an easy thing to pull off.
