Big claims from France: Newcastle 'ready' to pay €20m for Sven Botman's former teammate

According to reports in France, Newcastle Untied are showing serious interest in Lille defender Tiago Djalo.

 This comes from Foot Mercato, who claim Newcastle are ‘ready to offer’ a fee in excess of €20m for the versatile 22-year-old.

The player is approaching the final 18 months of his contract with Lille and will be no stranger to fellow centre-back Sven Botman, having played alongside the big Dutchman during their time together at LOSC.

Djalo is predominantly a central defender, but he can operate down either flank, having made 12 appearances at right-back and 11 at left-back for over the past two seasons.

He stands 6ft 3' tall and is known for his impressive turn of pace - which may explain why he's often been used at full-back by the Ligue 1 side.

The former Portugal U21 international joined the 2021 title winners three and a half years ago, arriving from AC Milan for €4m.

Time will tell if we really are showing concrete interest in Djalo, but he certainly ticks boxes as a young, athletic and versatile defender who could compete with an in-form but ageing Fabian Schar.