“Newcastle like him” – €25m Liverpool transfer target could be St James’ Park-bound instead

Newcastle United are reportedly interested in Sevilla defender and Liverpool target Loic Bade as they continue to look for transfer targets in that area of the pitch.

The Magpies have been in the market for a top centre-back for some time now, with Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi notably a former target of theirs recently, as per Team Talk and others.

Bade, meanwhile, has impressed in La Liga and a recent report from Todo Fichajes claimed that Liverpool were closing in on a €25m deal for him ahead of January.

It could be, however, that Newcastle are now also in the mix, with transfer expert Graeme Bailey telling Geordie Boot Boys about Eddie Howe’s side’s interest in the Frenchman.

“He’s playing ever so well this year, and a lot of clubs are looking at him,” Bailey said.

“Obviously Newcastle are one of them. They are looking at more than a dozen centre-backs, which is not a massive surprise. Loic Bade is one of them.

“He is attainable in January. Hee would probably cost half of what Marc Guehi would cost. There is that Premier League tax that we talk about, so it’s something Newcastle are looking at.

“Bade is one of the players who has impressed. Newcastle like him after watching him.”

Loic Bade transfer: Will he move to Newcastle or Liverpool?

Newcastle clearly need someone like Bade to help them move forwards, but would NUFC be the player’s preferred choice if there’s also a chance to move to somewhere like Liverpool?

The Reds are a huge name and are further ahead in their project than the Toon, so it could be that they’d have the advantage in terms of winning the player over.

There’s no guarantee, however, as Newcastle might have the advantage of being able to guarantee Bade first-team football straight away.

Liverpool might also have a key role for Bade due to the fact that Virgil van Dijk is heading towards the end of his contract.

Having said that, the experienced Dutchman remains a crucial player for Arne Slot’s side, so it may be that it’ll still be difficult for someone like Bade to come in and win a place in the side, with LFC surely still set to try to tie their star defender down to a new contract.