Soccer Football - Serie A - Napoli v AS Roma - Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy - April 28, 2024 AS Roma's Evan Ndicka reacts REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
Newcastle United are yet to make a first-team signing in the summer transfer window, but it is no secret that they are keen to reinvest in their squad ahead of next season.
The Magpies have delivered one of their most exciting and successful campaigns in decades, breaking their 70-year trophy drought with the Carabao Cup win and qualifying for their second stint in European football under Eddie Howe.
The club has struggled to consistently refresh their first-team squad over the last 18 months due to PSR restrictions, but they are expected to have more financial freedom this summer, thanks to their disciplined approach.
Newcastle are being linked to numerous Premier League players already, with Joao Pedro, Antoine Semenyo, Anthony Elanga and Ilya Zabarnyi all being named as potential targets.
However, it is now being reported by a publication from Italy, LaRoma24, that the North East giants are now looking further afield for their defensive reinforcements.
According to the Italian news outlet, Newcastle are one of the Premier League clubs interested in signing AS Roma defender Evan Ndicka this summer.
It is claimed that Arsenal are also interested in the talented defender and both clubs have been in contact to get a better understanding of his availability this summer, he is expected to have a price tag of €40m (£34m).
Who is Evan Ndicka?
Since signing for Roma on a free transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023, Ndicka has gone from strength to strength in the Serie A.
The 25-year-old was named in the Bundesliga team of the season before joining the Italian giants, and has once again been recognised for his stand-out presence to be included in the Serie A team of the season for 2024/25 too.
In a squad that has had it’s fair share of injury issues over the last two seasons, Newcastle are in desperate need of some strong dependability from their new signings and Ndicka is a fantastic example of availability – playing every single minute of every single Serie A game this season for Roma.
As per Opta Analyst, the talented titan – hailed “superb” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – won 81% of his attempted tackles, which was the highest success rate of any player in the Italian top flight with over 30 tackles recorded.
Whether the Ivory Coast international is the right fit for Newcastle remains to be seen; as a left-footed centre-back, he would face stiff competition from Dan Burn and Sven Botman for a place in the first team in his preferred position on the left side of the centre-back partnership.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Newcastle do act upon their alleged interest in Ndicka this summer, or whether the links are more agent-driven to secure a high profile move elsewhere.
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