Newcastle’s transfer plans have been rocked by some devastating injury news.

After Rafael Benitez sealed his fifth signing of the transfer window, the £3m purchase of Fabian Schar from Deportivo La Coruna, an injury to defender Florian Lejeune has undoubtedly affected his plans. The French defender was a key man alongside Jamaal Lascelles last season. He suffered a cruciate ligament injury that will require surgery meaning he will miss a huge chunk of next season.

With only Schar, Lascelles and Ciaran Clark at the club, Benitez may be forced back into the transfer market for another centre-back. Especially if Leicester sell Harry Maguire to Manchester United and attempt to sign Lascelles as his replacement. Nevertheless, defensive reinforcements are needed.

The perfect addition could be West Brom defender – Ahmed Hegazi. The Egyptian defender joined the Baggies last summer from Al Ahly on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy. After some impressive performances, West Brom activated the clause in December. However, following their relegation, Hegazi could be set to leave the club.

Valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, the 27-year-old was a shining light in a miserable season at the Hawthorns. He played every minute of Premier League football, scoring twice and was named man of the match on three occasions.

Hegazi is excellent in the air and strong in the tackle and has already shown that he is ideally suited for life in the Premier League. The defender reportedly has a release clause of £10m in his contract and Newcastle would be foolish not to trigger it.

Newcastle fans, thoughts?