Newcastle United to battle Arsenal for towering centre-back who has played every minute in Serie A this season

If there's one thing Newcastle United could do with in a new centre-back it's strength. Not just in terms of being able to defend, but more specifically to stay fit for an entire season.

It has become painfully apparent that Sven Botman's knees are made of chalk and right now it would be very difficult to realistically expect him to play every game in a season for Newcastle United.

Jamaal Lascelles hasn't kicked a ball all season and has only just returned to training on the grass this week.

Fabian Schar and Dan Burn have both done very well to stay fit this season, but Schar is proving to be a lot less consistent than he was, and while we can't level any criticism at Dan Burn for this season, it wasn't all that long ago that everyone was ready to sell him to anyone who would have him.

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Arsenal make first move in pursuit of Newcastle target Evan Ndicka

A younger centre-back is a massive priority for Newcastle this summer, someone to partner Sven Botman in the long-term future, should the Dutchman make a full recovery from his knee troubles.

There have been several players mentioned lately, with many of them names we've been linked with before, and now here comes another one, a ghost from 2023 - Evan Ndicka.

Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Newcastle and Arsenal are keeping tabs on the Roma defender after playing every minute for them this season.

Newcastle United could pick up Evan Ndicka for just £25 million

Newcastle had looked at Ndicka in 2022 before he left Eintracht Frankfurt for Roma, but now it's expected that the Ivory Coast star could be on the move again this summer after attracting interest from around Europe.

It's expected that Roma would be willing to let the 25-year-old leave in a deal worth somewhere between £25m-£35 million, which is a bargain for such a talented player.

Arsenal could prove to be fierce opposition in the race for Ndicka, however, and the report does say that Arsenal have already reached out to gauge the player's availability.

This link does excite us, though, and we hope there's actual truth in this one, but only time will tell.