Newcastle United are set to rival Burnley for Chris Basham as the Daily Mail reported that the Tyneside club are interested in signing the Sheffield United ace in the upcoming summer transfer window.
As per the outlet, the central defender will only have a year left on his current deal when the window opens, leaving him potentially vulnerable as his market value will likely be lower as a result.
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It also means that, if a new contract is not signed by the January transfer window of next year, then Basham will be free to talk to other clubs at the risk of him leaving on a free transfer the following summer.
Nevertheless, the Magpies may be set to put an offer on the table now in the hope of securing his services for the 2020/21 season, providing that he does not sign a new deal with Chris Wilder’s men before it is made.
Indeed, Basham has been a key part in the success of the Blades in the Premier League so far in this campaign, with Sheffield United keeping a rather impressive 12 clean sheets in the 36 games in which he has played, and the defender winning 6.5 duels per match, according to Sofascore.
Comparing the stats of the 31-year old to those of Federico Fernandez, Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles so far in this term in the top flight, Basham has averaged the most tackles and key passes per game, while also achieving the highest rating (6.97) on Whoscored.
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Based off of these stats, the Englishman would be a shrewd signing for Steve Bruce’s team, providing that they can get the transfer over the line.
Geordies, would Basham be a good signing for Newcastle? Comment below with your views!
