Newcastle United could 'probably' persuade Tottenham Hotspur to part with Cameron Carter-Vickers for 'even less' than £5m.

That's according to former Leeds United, Coventry City and Middlesbrough striker Noel Whelan, who was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

The outlet reported last week that Newcastle had moved ahead of Scottish giants Celtic in the race to sign the defender. The Magpies apparently want to sign a centre-back this summer, and the 'young and affordable' Carter-Vickers fits their criteria.

Carter-Vickers spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Bournemouth, his sixth temporary spell away from Spurs after previous stints at Luton Town, Stoke City, Swansea City, Ipswich Town and Sheffield United (via Transfermarkt).

The American defender started 23 Championship matches last term, averaging 2.8 successful aerial duels, one tackle, 1.1 interceptions and 3.6 clearances per match for the Cherries (via WhoScored).

Spurs have exercised their right to extend Carter-Vickers' contract by a further 12 months (via Football London), but that seemed to be motivated by ensuring that it didn't run out this summer and leave him open to departing for free.

The latest

Whelan believes that it makes a great deal of sense for Spurs to cash in on the 23-year-old, so long as they recoup their investment. He told Football Insider:

"He's not going to make the grade in the Premier League with Tottenham but he'll also be on big wages.

"It makes sense to try and get a player out of the club permanently, no matter what that is. Get him off the wage bill and recoup what they've already paid.

"£5million would probably do that I would have thought, possibly even less. Then Tottenham would have freed up some wages in a position where they can strengthen as well."

The verdict

Carter-Vickers represents a decent alternative to fellow Magpies defensive target Kristoffer Ajer. Newcastle have been 'heavily linked' with the Celtic man having watched him since 2019, but they may have fallen behind other clubs in the race for his signature (via Chronicle Live).

If Newcastle's transfer budget is as low as has been reported, striking a deal for Carter-Vickers for the kind of price Whelan mentions could be regarded as pretty sensible, although Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo - another name mentioned in connection with the Magpies - could be a viable alternative.

In other news, Lee Ryder reveals that one Newcastle youngster is set to be loaned out.