Report: Newcastle in talks to sign Germany international

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Portuguese outlet Record claim Benfica face competition for Freiburg defender Robin Koch in the form of Newcastle United, who are in talks with the Bundesliga club to sign the Germany international.

Koch, 24, has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Freiburg and is expected to leave the Bundesliga side this summer if his asking price is met. Benfica have been strongly linked with a move for the versatile ace.

Naturally a centre-back, Koch can also play in central midfield – and has been previously linked with Tottenham and Leeds. Now, Benfica’s main competition comes in the form of Newcastle, who are in talks for Koch.

Freiburg rate Koch in the region of £27million – but Benfica do not want to even reach the figure of £22.5million. That might give Newcastle a chance to steal in and nab Koch in the coming weeks.

TBR’s view – Do Newcastle need Koch?

Arguably, Newcastle need to strengthen different areas of the team. At centre-back, they have Jamaal Lascelles, Federico Fernandez, Ciaran Clark, Florian Lejeune and Fabian Schar.

Koch can do a job in midfield but is better off in defence. So, while Koch would be an excellent addition at St. James’ Park – Newcastle need to spend their somewhat limited budget on other areas of the pitch.