Report: Newcastle have now set their sights on 23-year-old Van Dijk 2.0; could cost less than £17m

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Newcastle United continue to scour the market far and wide as they look for new signings and that mission has now led them to Hungarian defender, Attila Szalai.

That’s according to Sky Sports anyway, who claim Szalai is now on the radar of both Newcastle and West Ham before the window slams shut in a few weeks’ time. The 23-year-old Hungarian is thought to be available for around £17m or less, and that is well within most Premier League clubs’ budgets.

Szalai, who currently plays in Turkey with Fenerbahce, is highly-rated in his homeland of Hungary. He played every minute for his country in Euro 2020, with the Daily Star reporting how some had started to refer to him as the ‘Hungarian Van Dijk’.

Chelsea have watched Szalai too, while West Ham’s interest is nothing brand new either. But for Newcastle, the Hungarian is the latest in a long line of apparent defensive targets.

The Magpies are desperately seeking fresh faces this week. A 1-1 draw with Watford this weekend has called PIF and their transfer team to spring into further action. Deals for Diego Carlos and more are said to be progressing. Szalai, then, could be the latest name to arrive if the Mags push ahead.

TBR’s View: Szalai A Solid Defender With Great Potential

This is more like the realistic sort of signing Newcastle can go for. Yes, he’s with a big club in Turkey, but the Premier League is a big lure and PIF can offer him big money.

At around £17m, it’s a fair price, too. And at 23, Szalai has ample time to progress further while being good and experienced enough to make an impact right now for Newcastle.

Of all the defenders linked this week, Szalai would appear to be a very sensible option.