Guehi, Thiaw and the £31m dilemma facing Newcastle as Sky Sports issue Friday update

Despite claims it was 'close' on Monday, the Marc Guehi speculation has rumbled on, with Sky Sports confirming on Friday that our second offer - in the region of £50m - has been rejected by Crystal Palace.

It makes you wonder where the truth lies, particularly as Eddie Howe seemed genuine when he said he didn’t know what was going on when speaking to the press on Thursday morning.

Of course, Eddie may well and know more than he let on and I’m sure the next few days will reveal something that will either delight or be questioned by our fanbase. However, I am left wondering about Palace's rumoured price tag and another long-term target in Malick Thiaw; who Howe revealed his appreciation for just last week.

Let me clarify that I’d love for Guehi to arrive. He's Premier League proven, can play on the left or right, is good age (24), a great character and would add some much-needed athleticism to our poll of centre-backs, but £65m feels steep and you wonder what a club-record fee like this would do for our transfer budget, PSR and our ability to also bring in a much-needed right winger this summer.

Others are confident it happens, but there's a slightly worry that it's dragged on all week, leaving me to wonder if a move for Malick Thiaw could be revisited if Palace refuse to lower their £65m demands.

At the end of July, Sky Sports' Keith Downie revealed that AC Milan are demanding €40m (£34m) for the 23-year-old German, meaning he could theoretically cost a whopping £31m less than the fee Palace are demanding for Guehi. Is that better value for money and a deal that frees up the funds required to sign a top right-winger?

Newcastle will have a plan, but I do fear for us and the potential backlash if the positivity of Guehi's arrival is followed by massive frustration that we've no longer got the means to bring in a much-needed upgrade for Miguel Almiron; surely our biggest priority heading into the summer?

During these deliberations a new name jumped out to me. Feyenoord's Lutsharel Geetruda; a versatile Dutchman who is 23, comfortable playing at right-sided centre-back or right back and expected to leave for a cut-price fee now he's out of contract next summer.

This is all very hypothetical at this point, but he's been linked before, ticks plenty of boxes and his versatility could be key should Kieran Trippier leave, as he could not only compete with Fabian Schar but offer another option alongside Tino Livramento.

Hopefully I'm wrong to have doubts about the Guehi deal and perhaps this time next week I’m getting very excited about his debut in a Toon top, but I do wonder how this could impact our right-winger search, meaning Thiaw could make more sense if Palace refuse to compromise.

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