Agent switch fuels talk of Newcastle United and Liverpool interest in Bundesliga star

Newcastle United have reportedly held talks over a move for Bayer Leverkusen and Germany centre-back Jonathan Tah.

The 27-year-old defender is said to have come close to a move to the Premier League during the January transfer window when a deal to take him to Nottingham Forest fell through.

Tah began his professional career by progressing through the ranks Hamburg before spending time on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf. He earned a £5m move to Leverkusen in the summer of 2015 and has gone on to make over 280 appearances for Die Werkself, helping them to a German Cup Final in 2020.

Tah has also claimed 16 senior Germany caps and last appeared for them as a late substitute in a 5-2 home win in a UEFA Nations League game against Italy last summer.

The centre-back has appeared alongside reported Newcastle targets Moussa Diaby and Patrik Schick during a season of inconsistency for Bayer as they suffered a group stage exit in the Champions League and they currently sit ten points shy of a return to European football’s elite club competition.

Tah’s future has remained a source of intense speculation and 90Min have now suggested both Newcastle and Liverpool are keen on the defender and held discussions with intermediaries about his current situation at the BayArena.

West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be admirers of Tah, with the latter believed to have mentioned the defender in conversations with Bayer, before prioritising a move for his team-mate, Piero Hincapie.

Speculation over Tah’s future has been further fuelled by his decision to switch agents after joining up with Pini Zahavi, who also represents the likes of Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski, former Newcastle star Aleksandar Mitrovic and current Magpies midfielder Sean Longstaff.