Newcastle step up interest in Genk’s Zakaria El Ouahdi - Report

Newcastle United know they have to sign at least one first-team-ready right back this summer after Kieran Trippier announced his decision to leave the club.

The veteran full-back made the decision to walk away from Newcastle when his contract expires in the summer to find a new challenge in the twilight of his career, leaving the Magpies with a void to fill.

Tino Livramento's future is also uncertain, which could really present a problem for the Toon hierarchy, but let's look at one problem at a time.

Replacing Trippier is an impossible task in terms of his role at the club, but on the pitch, Newcastle are already on the lookout for suitable candidates, and a new report has suggested that the Magpies are now leading the race for Moroccan right-back Zakaria El Ouahdi.

Newcastle step up interest in El Ouahdi?

Belgian outlet Walfoot has claimed that Newcastle have stepped up their pursuit of the 24-year-old of late, going from 'casual monitoring' to concrete interest.

They report that Newcastle are now set to go toe-to-toe with PSV for the KRC Genk defender. Everton and Crystal Palace have also been watching on with interest. 

After a disappointing season, Genk may find it difficult to convince El Ouahdi to stay, and with a fee of around £13 million expected to be all it will take to prise him away from Belgium, Newcastle will no doubt feel this would be too good to pass up.

El Ouahdi has seven goals and two assists in the Pro League this season from 24 appearances playing at right-back. That kind of attacking threat from defence is what we've been lacking on the right-hand side for a while. 

A potential bargain 

Tino Livramento is good at getting forward, but then doesn't seem to know what to do with the ball when he gets there. Having a right-back with an eye for goal would change things massively.

The step up from the Belgian league to the Premier League is a big one, but plenty of players have handled it before, and at just £13 million, it's certainly a risk worth taking.

We hope there's some truth to this one, he looks a bargain. We should be able to see off PSV, although they will have the Champions League to offer him, which we almost certainly won't.

Rumour Rating: 6/10 - It's early days, and one report from Belgium doesn't fill us with great confidence, but it’s the sort of low cost, high potential investment we may see more of this summer.