Newcastle United transfer rumours as Southampton block £40m Magpies bid for centre-back

Here are your Newcastle United transfer rumours on Friday, February 4.

Much of the Magpies’ business centre around different centre-backs and, according to 90min, Southampton’s Mohammed Salisu was one of those.

A £40m bid was reportedly lodged for the 22-year-old but the arrival of a new owner at St Mary’s put to paid to the interest from the North East.

One of Dragan Solak’s first pieces of business after completing the take over of Southampton was to block the departure of Salisu, fully aware of how important he was to the squad.

Another of the nightmare scenarios that Newcastle really wanted to avoid looks to be taking shape just a few days after the January transfer window closed.

The Magpies were hoping to sign Hugo Ekitike on Deadline Day in order to steer clear of a transfer battle at the end of the season.

After the 19-year-old striker turned down the personal terms offered, he is now attracting interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, according to Calcio Mercato in Italy.

AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain are the teams looking at the youngster with the latter potentially needing a Kylian Mbappe replacement in the summer.

Sven Botman was the primary target for the recruitment team at St James’ Park during January but their pursuit was ultimately successful.

Lille rejected each of Newcastle’s approaches for their star centre-back but they will have a host of bids to fend off in the summer transfer window.

The 22-year-old’s agent, Nikkie Bruinenberg, told Voetbal International that a potential move to Tyneside, which could happen at the end of the season, should not be viewed as a financial decision.

He said: “One of Sven’s greatest strengths is that he is always very certain in the decisions