Eddie Howe is desperate for more options at centre-back. His Newcastle United squad is fairly thin when it comes to options in the centre of defence, and those options that are available are almost all on the wrong side of 30.
Signing a new centre-back has been deemed a priority for the Magpies this summer, and while Marc Guehi has once again emerged as the frontrunner, the club are keeping their options open.
Indeed, there's nothing to say that Newcastle will recruit just one centre-back, and as such, we've seen Newcastle linked with a few players a bit more out of left field and way cheaper than what we'll be expected to pay for Marc Guehi.
A new name has now appeared from Swiss reporter Sacha Tavolieri who has claimed that the Magpies are looking to hijack a player from under the noses of Leeds United.
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Jaka Bijol Udinese 2
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Jaka Bijol has been linked with Newcastle United
Sacha Tavolieri hasn't got the greatest track record
We have to take anything that comes from Sacha Tavolieri with a huge pinch of salt, as his website is a blatant con to get people to believe he's affiliated with Sky Sports.
However, he has claimed that Newcastle are looking to beat Leeds United to the signing of Udinese defender Jaka Bijol.
He has claimed that Leeds have already had a €15 million (£12 million) offer turned down with Udinese wanting €20 million (£17 million), and that Newcastle are prepared to cough up in the hope of beating Leeds to the punch.
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We're not buying it ... and we were right not to
It's an interesting link as the 26-year-old Jaka Bijol looks like the part for sure, and while we don't doubt Leeds United's interest, we certainly have doubts about Newcastle's.
Had this come from a more reliable source, we'd be a bit more inclined to believe the rumours, but as things stand, we're highly sceptical.
We're not opposed to the idea, by any means, as a cheaper defender to boost the squad depth isn't the worst idea, but we'll have to see how this one pans out.
EDIT: Between writing this story and it going live, Fabrizio Romano has posted an update suggesting that the deal is done for Bijol's move to Leeds United.