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Newcastle remain keen on “underrated” £24m star
Newcastle are expected to continue their pursuit of a new centre-back in the summer transfer window, with several Premier League players already being linked to the Tyneside club.
The Magpies are chasing down a spot in the Champions League for next season, and Eddie Howe will be fully focused on seeing that target over the line when they host Everton at St James’ Park on Sunday.
Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi continues to be a target for the Geordies, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claiming that they would even be willing to wait until his contract expires in the summer of 2026 to secure his services.
However, it would be naïve for Newcastle to go into next season without adding quality depth to their defensive set-up, considering the congested fixture list, including European football, and their desire to compete consistently with the elite.
While the Newcastle boss concentrates on keeping the Champions League dreams alive, sporting director Paul Mitchell will be hard at work putting together a summer wishlist for the club and initiating a recruitment strategy.
According to GIVEMESPORT, Newcastle United are one of the Premier League clubs that remain keen on signing AFC Bournemouth star Ilya Zabarnyi this summer, despite the Cherries’ reluctance.
Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City are the other clubs who hold a strong interest in Zabarnyi, but it is claimed that they will all face resistance due to the already confirmed sale of Huijsen to Real Madrid.
Should Newcastle sign Zabarnyi?
There is no doubt that Zabarnyi offers strengths that would be massively beneficial to Newcastle’s defensive presence next season, but could they be getting tangled in another Guehi saga?
The Magpies’ strong pursuit of Guehi last summer came after Palace sold his centre-back partner Joachim Andersen to Fulham, which led to a lot of back and forth resulting in Newcastle not only missing out on their target, but also running out of time to find an alternative.
Huijsen’s move to Real Madrid presents a similar challenge for Newcastle, as the Cherries will be reluctant to lose both their starting centre-backs in one summer.
Over 34 Premier League appearances, the 22-year-old Ukrainian – dubbed “underrated” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp – has won the majority of his duels (62%) and successfully completed 71% of his dribble attempts, as well as averaging 5.1 clearances and 4.3 ball recoveries per game.
Bournemouth signed Zabarnyi from Dynamo Kyiv for £24m in January 2023 and last summer signed a new contract to extend his stay until 2029, so it will be interesting to see what kind of offer would tempt them to part ways with their talented defender.
With that being said, a potential move for Zabarnyi would be one for Newcastle fans to keep an eye on, but it will also be important for the club to not repeat mistakes of the past and keep their options open this summer to avoid further disappointment.
