£35m deal perfect proof Newcastle should walk away from Marc Guehi?

Let me start this by saying that I rate Marc Guehi highly. He's a proven Premier League operator, a great age at 24, a captain at his club, a great character and can play as a left or right-sided centre-back.

He'd add so much to our squad and offer that bit of athleticism to a fairly one-paced group of centre-backs, but is he worth the reported £70m Crystal Palace are demanding? I don't think so.

Reports on Friday suggested that our fourth bid worth £65m was rejected by Palace and it's not clear if we'll return with another bid or walk away and pursue other alternatives.

Personally, I think it's time we did the latter if Palace really are holding out for 'in excess' of £70m and feel Sven Botman is a perfect example of why we should do so.

We plucked Botman from Lille for £35m - half the fee Crystal Palace are demanding for Guehi - and Bruno Guimaraes was only £40m from Lyon. Superb signings and more proof that there's brilliant value to be had in many of the major European leagues outside of England.

With PSR still a constant concern and a quality right-winger (who won't come cheap) also needed, I can't help but wonder if Newcastle should be moving for an overseas gem who'd cost a fraction of Guehi fee.

Steve Nickson's scouting has to be trusted and Paul Mitchell has strong links overseas after spells in Germany and France. Guehi is great, but £70m? It feels too much.

It's not a given that we can just pluck Malick Thiaw from AC Milan, but Sky Sports and the Italian media suggested he could cost more like £35m, while the likes of Mohamed Simakan (RB Leipzig) and Ousmane Diomande (Sporting Lisbon) will almost certainly cost far less than Guehi.

Time to back our scouting, use Mitchell's contacts and trust Howe's coaching by signing a European gem that could free up funds to put towards a much-needed winger? Right now, that feels like a better idea than blowing potentially all of the budget on Guehi.