Newcastle targeting second centre-back alongside Marc Guehi



Newcastle United are considering a shock bid for Al-Ittihad defender Luiz Felipe, according to reports. 

The Magpies have already added Lloyd Kelly to their defensive ranks this summer, but with both Sven Botman and Jamal Lascelles injured for some time yet, Eddie Howe is in need of reinforcements.

Newcastle are being heavily linked with Crystal Palace and England star Marc Guehi but even if he arrives, they will be thin on the ground at centre-back during the opening months of the 2024/25 campaign.

But according to UOLesporte (via NUFC Blog), the Toon Army are also lining up a bid for Felipe regardless of if they land Guehi.

Felipe joined Al-Ittihad from Real Betis for a reported €22m last summer but enjoyed his most successful spell with Lazio between 2017 and 2022, playing 144 times across all competitions for the Serie A side.

Luiz Felipe of Al Ittihad in action during a Pre-Season Friendly match between Real Betis and Al Ittihad at Estadio Benito Villamarin on August 03, 2024 in Seville, Spain.

Born in Brazil but capped once for Italy at senior international level, Felipe is still only 27 years old and may well feel he has a point to prove in Europe following a 27-game spell in Saudi Arabia.

The main sticking point from a Newcastle perspective would be sanctioning large fees for two centre-backs, with attacking areas of the field still requiring reinforcements.

If no further signings were made, Newcastle’s starting centre-back pairing for their Premier League opener against Southampton on Saturday would most likely be new signing Kelly alongside Fabian Schar.