Newcastle 'in contact' over £34m Roma defender - Agent talk or genuine interest?

Another day, another transfer link as we wait for a major breakthrough this summer at St James' Park.

Recent reports have talked up the potential for an overseas signing to arrive, with The Telegraph hinting that our search for a centre-back could lead us abroad and away from Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi.

Sporting Lisbon's Ousmane Diomande was linked again last week and another Ivory Coast international has emerged today in AS Roma's Evan Ndicka.

This comes via Italian outlet LaRoma24, who report that Newcastle and Arsenal have both been in contact over Ndicka's availability this summer.

They add that the Serie A side won't accept anything under €40m (£34m) for the 25-year-old, who was their 'most reliable' player last term and didn't miss a single Serie A game.

This isn't the first time we've been linked with a move for Ndicka. In the summer of 2022, the German media claimed we had been scouting the centre-back during his time at Frankfurt, but we didn't make a move as he eventually joined Roma on a free transfer two years ago.

However, as with any rumour, you have to question if it's agent driven to land the player (and his representatives) a big move and payday, or genuine interest.

Considering Ndicka is a left-footed centre-back who would require Sven Botman to move across in order to fit into our side, I wouldn't be surprised if this is another example of Newcastle's name being used to gain more interest.