Newcastle United eye £40m alternative to Marc Guehi but face competition from Bayer Leverkusen

Marc Guehi reportedly remains Eddie Howe’s priority target to add youth and quality to Newcastle United’s central defensive options, but the club are guarding against any form of repeat of last year’s shenanigans.

Crystal Palace kept dragging Newcastle along with talks over a deal for Marc Guehi when they had no intention of making the deal, and while the Magpies have considerably more negotiating power this year thanks to Guehi’s contract situation, they aren’t willing to play silly games again.

Therefore, the Magpies have identified several other targets they could pursue, and it looks as though movement is already being made for one of those targets.

Bayer Leverkusen are, according to The Athletic, preparing a £40 million bid for Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah, who is also said to be of interest to Newcastle.