Newcastle make early move to sign giant centre-back who’s already been compared with Virgil van Dijk

Add as preferred source on Google

Newcastle have held talks over potentially signing Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen during the summer transfer window.

90Min claim that both the Magpies and Liverpool have already had discussions over landing the 26-year-old German international.

Newcastle’s defence has been incredibly impressive this season, and their lengthy pursuit of Sven Botman has really paid off.

Their central defensive partnership has been so good that Dan Burn has had to play at left-back, a role he operated in at times for Brighton and he has done very well.

Newcastle holds talks over signing Tah

The report claims that Tah wants his next move to be to the Premier League after a transitional season at Bayer, where Xabi Alonso has now taken over.

Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Tottenham are also in the frame for the German central defender, so getting him will not be easy.

That said, by the end of the season, Newcastle may be the only one of those clubs able to offer Champions League football; they are the only one of the quintet in the top four right now.

“I certainly see parallels between Jonathan and Virgil van Dijk,” Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz says in Tah’s Jona 99 documentary, produced by DAZN, via Voetbal International.

“I know Van Dijk well because he comes from the Netherlands. He has taken steps, but he too has had to master the aggressiveness in defence. I’m sure Jonathan will succeed in that too.

“I think he is at his best when he plays aggressively. (If he does that from now on) he is a top player,” and if Tah develops to be at Van Dijk’s level, he would be a real asset to any Premier League club.