Newcastle and Tottenham interested in signing £25m ‘monster’

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• EXCLUSIVE from Graeme Bailey

Newcastle United haven’t had the greatest start to the new Premier League season and they suffered a 1-0 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion on the weekend.

The Magpies currently reside in ninth having taken 12 points from a possible 24, which is some way off the kind of form they need if they’re to challenge for the top six.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
7	TottenhamTottenham	8	4	1	3	18	9	9	13
8	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	8	3	4	1	8	6	2	13
9	NewcastleNewcastle	8	3	3	2	8	8	0	12
10	FulhamFulham	8	3	2	3	11	11	0	11
11	B’mouthBournemouth	8	3	2	3	10	10	0	11

Eddie Howe was left frustrated by Newcastle’s transfer business over the summer, so it’s evident his side needs strengthening in January.

With that said, TBR Football can now reveal who Newcastle have identified ahead of the winter transfer window.

• READ MORE: Newcastle want to sign £29m attacker who plays just like Chelsea’s Jadon Sancho

Newcastle and Tottenham interested in Abdukodir Khusanov

TBR Football understand RC Lens centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov has a lot of interest from the Premier League.

Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Brentford, Brighton and West Ham United have all watched Khusanov this season.

There is interest from the continent, too, with Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig, Napoli, Atalanta and Marseille also keeping tabs on the 20-year-old.

Khusanov is regarded as one of the best young defenders in France and has been labelled a ‘monster’ by his teammates, per Sports Witness.

How Khasanov compares to Sven Botman and Fabian Schar

Khasanov is believed to be valued at around £25m – so it should be a pretty feasible deal for Newcastle to do mid-season even with their Financial Fair Play restraints.

If Newcastle were to land his signature, he’d be competing against Sven Botman and Fabian Schar for a spot in Howe’s line-up.

Here is how their statistics compare.

Khusanov is statistically one of the best tacklers in Europe, as amplified above, and would add a more aggressive profile to Newcastle’s backline.