JAMAAL LASCELLES and Paul Dummett are being pursued by Newcastle United on deadline day, despite the fact that the Magpies have confirmed they will not make any new signings.
Lascelles has been interested in Besiktas for the past month, and the Turkish club has made contact again today to discuss a potential trade.
Besiktas does not have to conclude a deal for Newcastle’s captain by tonight’s 11 p.m. UK deadline because the Turkish transfer window is still open until next week.
However, rather of waiting until the last minute to negotiate, they attempted to broker a deal during the UK timeframe.
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe would prefer to keep Lascelles, who has held the captain’s armband despite struggling for game time in recent seasons.
However, the 30-year-old is nearing the end of his current contract in Tyneside and has yet to reach an agreement with the Magpies.
A sale would make financial sense given the risk of Lascelles leaving for free in the summer, but it may leave Newcastle without centre-half cover after the club captain stepped in to join Fabian Schar when Sven Botman was injured in the autumn.
Leeds United and Ipswich Town have both expressed interest in Dummett in recent days, and while the former has dropped out, the latter remains keen in signing the left-back.
Leeds have turned their focus to Conor Roberts, and they intend to recruit the Burnley left-back on loan for the remainder of the season.
Ipswich, on the other hand, is still interested in Dummett and has contacted Newcastle’s management to express their interest in the 32-year-old, who, like Lascelles, will become a free agent in the summer. Dummett made only two starts for Newcastle this season, both in the early stages of the Carabao Cup.
