Newcastle are now in talks to sign another £148,000-a-week Guehi to replace Howe

After seeing a third bid turned down in their pursuit of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, Newcastle United have opened talks to sign another option with a clean sheet at St James' Park.

Newcastle transfer news

The Magpies, to their credit, have gone above and beyond in their pursuit of Guehi, with their latest bid reportedly worth £60m plus £5m in add-ons. However, Steve Parish and Palace have not moved and Guehi currently looks set to stay at Selhurst Park, perhaps leaving Newcastle with no choice but to look at other options.

It has to be said that, whether it is Guehi or another option, Eddie Howe needs another central defender in his side. As things stand, he starts the season without both Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles and will have no choice but to turn to Dan Burn when it comes to centre-back in the opening weeks. That's where another former Premier League player can help, though.

According to Caught Offside, Newcastle have opened talks to sign Andreas Christensen from Barcelona this month, with the La Liga giants willing to open talks at £22/23m. A defender of Champions League quality, who would cost half of what Crystal Palace want for Guehi, signing Christensen in place of the England international would be smart on paper.

The Magpies have just two weeks to complete their summer business before the window closes and a centre-back must be their priority. With their move to Guehi still blocked, the £148,000-a-week Christensen represents a surprisingly good alternative.

“Intelligent” Christensen can match Guehi's quality

While it's easy not to doubt Guehi's ability, especially after his performance for England at Euro 2024, question marks remain over whether Newcastle should pay more than £65m for a defender who is yet to play a single minute of Champions League football.

Relatively untested on the big stage despite his recent experience under Gareth Southgate, Newcastle will close the transfer records in what will still be a risky move.

Christensen, on the other hand, comes without those risks. He has significant top-level experience under his belt, even winning the Champions League, and as a bonus, he knows all about keeping clean sheets at St James' Park after playing 90 minutes in a 3-0 thrashing of the Magpies in the final. a year at Chelsea.

It was during his time at Chelsea that Christensen earned the praise of former manager Thomas Tuchel, who said via Sportskeeda: “I think it is important that we accept the personality of every player. Some are very loud, some are aggressive, some are calm. He is a calm person, a very intelligent player.

“Sometimes, you can be a little misled by judging him on his personality because he's a tough defender and he's a guy who doesn't shy away from facing adversity and overcoming challenges and rising in games.”