Newcastle United now set to be offered chance to sign £21m Marc Guehi alternative as agent approaches clubs over sale

January is getting ever nearer and Newcastle United will be firming up their transfer targets ahead of the window opening.

While there seems to be a lot of talk from within the club actively trying to temper expectations ahead of the window, there's still a belief that Newcastle will be active in the window, just maybe no set to make any bank-busting deals.

There's an expectation that the club will use the January window to try and move players on and maybe bring in a couple of low-profile squad players and save the big ones for the summer.

After failing to make a big signing in the summer despite a lengthy pursuit of Marc Guehi, the club still has a central-defender on their wish list and they could be about to be handed one on a silver platter.

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Newcastle will be offered the chance to sign 20-year-old hot prospect Abdukodir Khusanov

Earlier this week, Newcastle were linked with a move for Uzbekistan international Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens and now a report has come out via AreaNapoli journalist Gianluca Vitale suggesting that super agent Jorge Mendes has been told by Lens to find a buyer for Khusanov.

The 20-year-old signed for Lens for just €100k (£83k) in 2023 and it is believed he is now expected to fetch closer to £21 million.

That's a tidy profit for Lens, but could still prove to be a bargain for Newcastle who were reportedly ready to pay Crystal Palace more than twice that amount for Guehi.

Jorge Mendes has been offering Khusanov around Europe

Mendes has been in contact with Wolves, PSG, Napoli, and Real Madrid, as well as Newcastle, to drum up interest in the defender.

Abdukodir Khusanov has played in all bar two of Lens' games this season, missing those games through suspension after seeing red in the defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

While the proposed amount of £21 million seems low when compared to Guehi, it's also worth remembering that Khusanov is still only 20 years old and doesn't have the Premier League or high-level international experience that Guehi has, so £20 million plus is still a big risk.