· December 3 2024, 21:30
**Newcastle United are still determined to add bodies to their defensive options despite the fact that Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles are nearing a return to fitness.**
The summer transfer window saw Newcastle focus all their efforts on finding a new centre-back, specifically Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace.
While Guehi does still remain of interest to Newcastle, Paul Mitchell is casting a much wider net this time after wasting so much effort on just one target in August only to come away with nothing.
Benfica's Antonio Silva and AC Milan's Malick Thiaw remain of interest [according to The Athletic](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5949367/2024/11/29/manchester-united-arsenal-liverpool-transfer-latest-real-madrid/?source=emp_shared_article), and they also mention another player who was looked in the summer but we've not heard much about since.
Newcastle still have an eye on Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen
Newcastle still have their eye on Edmond Tapsoba
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In the last two summer transfer windows, Newcastle have been credited with an interest in Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba.
The Burkina Faso international has been watched by the Magpies for a long time, but things haven't really progressed beyond the enquiry stage.
Bayer Leverkusen were flying last season and it probably seemed like getting them to part with any of their top players would have been borderline impossible.
Newcastle's priorities have changed since the summer
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However, The Athletic's Chris Waugh obviously felt there was enough interest there still that the 25-year-old's name was worth mentioning in a transfer round-up.
With the return to fitness of both Lascelles and Botman, a central defender may not be as much of a priority in January as it was in the summer, but with so many of Newacstle's backline over the age of 30, it's not something that can be put off for too much longer.
Tapsoba would be a fantastic addition, but so to would any of the other defenders mentioned, if the price was right.