Newcastle facing Chelsea fight over €25m Ewen Jaouen - Report

Newcastle United are now facing competition to sign young French goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen, despite reports suggesting the deal was done.

As Newcastle search for a new long-term replacement for Nick Pope in goal, it also looks as though the Magpies are looking for another backup option too.

Stade de Reims' 20-year-old goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen has emerged as a top target for Newcastle, but the fact that he's only played in the second tier of French football heavily suggests that he wouldn't be Newcastle's first choice to replace Pope.

It's thought that Newcastle still hold a strong interest in James Trafford, but they also have Brighton's Bart Verbruggen and another French goalkeeper, Robin Risser, in mind for the No. 1 spot.

Newcastle face tough competition for Ewen Jaouen

Recently, it had been reported that Ewen Jaouen was on his way to Tyneside after a deal was agreed, but now a new report from Canal Plus has put that notion to bed.

Newcastle quickly denied reports that Jaouen had visited St James' Park and that an agreement had been reached, but stories keep popping up that Newcastle are in the race, but now it seems Chelsea could have stepped ahead of Eddie Howe's side.

Canal Plus claims that Jaouen has visited Chelsea and even that Real Madrid are considering him as Thibault Courtois' successor.

Did we underestimate Ewen Jaouen?

It sounds like Ewen Jaouen is very highly rated, so maybe there is a chance that Newcastle are eyeing him as a first-choice keeper. A report in French publication Ouest France asked the question if Jaouen is the future French goalkeeper back when he was just 18, so he's had eyes on him for a while.

After it looked like Newcastle would be his next destination, we can't be too confident on that anymore with Chelsea and Real Madrid now in the mix.

A Ligue 2 goalkeeper still isn't as exciting as any of the three options named above, but knowing Real Madrid are keen certainly makes us a lot more intrigued.