Free-spending Newcastle United will expectedly move into the summer transfer period with the intent of continuing their efforts in adding the requisite quality to the first team that will hopefully propel them into – at the bare minimum – a top-half side in the Premier League in the immediate future.
Should the Magpies avoid relegation in the current 2021-22 league campaign, the highest-spending club during January is all but guaranteed to throw hundreds of millions of pounds into the summer market, and the club may face a bare-knuckle boxing match if they are to secure a deal for German starlet Nico Schlotterbeck.
Freiburg CEO Jochen Saier on the future of Nico Schlotterbeck (22): “There were big clubs [interested]. It was clear to us that we wouldn’t let him go in the winter. In the summer, there’s definitely a possibility.” https://t.co/lbIoVshTjO
— Get German Football News (@GGFN_) February 12, 2022
According to Sky Germany and cited by Get German Football News, SC Freiburg CEO Jochen Saier explained that while the Breisgau-Brasilianer did well to fend-off interest for the 22-year-old center-back in January, the Waiblingen-native looks increasingly likely to move away from the Europa-Park Stadion amid heavy interest.
Both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are credited with an interest in the defensive stud as Bayern search for a long-term replacement for Niklas Süle, while Dortmund will look to move forward in their plans to revamp their backline after Süle agreed to terms with the club over a free summer transfer. From that position alone, Newcastle faces a tough fight ahead for a player who is already being tracked by two clubs who are avenues ahead of where the St. James’ Park outfit stands at the minute.
Center-back frustrations continue during Newcastle rebuild
With all due respect to Newcastle, if the club has ambitions of morphing into a top-level club in the Premier League in rapid order, they certainly will have to do better than adding only Dan Burn to the heart of the defense during the January window.
FREIBURG IM BREISGAU, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 12: Jonathan Burkardt of 1.FSV Mainz 05 and Nico Schlotterbeck of SC Freiburg battle for the ball during the Bundesliga match between Sport-Club Freiburg and 1. FSV Mainz 05 at Europa-Park Stadion on February 12, 2022 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. (Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
To their credit, it is not for a lack of effort on Newcastle’s part as Nico Schlotterbeck is hardly the only central defender that the Magpies have yearned for over the last few months.
Links with Sevilla’s Diego Carlos, LOSC Lille’s Sven Botman, and Burnley’s James Tarkowski have all been mentioned as possible options to improve what is currently on offer under Eddie Howe, but players of that caliber will remain hard to come by given the heavy interest from other clubs in better standing.
But if Newcastle can pull off a similar transfer masterstroke that saw them complete a shock deal for Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Bruno Guimarães, then the Magpies should still be able to leverage their massively improved financial situation to find the right solution.
