Belgium star could land Newcastle United move in 2024, Anthony Gordon backed for England call

Newcastle United reportedly took a personal check on Anderlecht and Belgium defender Zeno Debast as part of an ongoing analysis of the talented centre-back.

French outlet Jeunes Footeux have claimed the Magpies have paid close attention to the 20-year-old’s development in recent months and carried out their ‘umpteenth’ scouting mission when they took in Belgium’s 1-0 win against Serbia earlier this week.

Debast was handed his fourth senior start for his country and his fifth cap as he played a part in a 1-0 win over a Serbia squad containing former Newcastle striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and Juventus frontman Dusan Vlahovic.

The versatile defender has made rapid progress during the early years of his career after making his first-team debut for Anderlecht in a 2-2 draw with Club Brugge in May 2021. Since that initial breakthrough, Debast has gone on to make 70 appearances for the Belgian giants and was part of the side that reached the Europa Conference League quarter-finals earlier this year.

The report claims Anderlecht will sell Debast over the next 12 months, with a summer deal looking likely as the defender enters the final year of his current deal. It also states Newcastle will face competition from an unnamed Bundesliga club if they do make a move for his services.

Magpies star ‘close’ to England call

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown believes Newcastle United forward Anthony Gordon could play himself into contention for a place in the England squad for next summer’s Euro 2024 Finals.

The Magpies star has been in impressive form so far this season as he continues to build on the momentum created when he played a part in helping England to their Euro Under-21 Championship win during the summer.

There had been speculation the former Everton winger could have been called into Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euro 2024 qualifying double header against Malta and North Macedonia over the coming days.

Gordon was forced to play the waiting game as Southgate’s opted against handing the in-form forward his first senior call-up - but Keown insisted the £40m man is heading in the right direction.

“I do see great signs with him,” he told TalkSPORT.

“His work rate is phenomenal on the left-hand side. The job Eddie is doing with him, improving him. But It’s only really one season. This is his first proper season. This is the first real season where Anthony Gordon has really caught the eye.

“He’s knuckling down, he’s putting the hard miles in. He works very hard for his team. [He needs] A little bit more quality in front of goal. He was the player of the tournament at the Euros in the summer. We want that continuity to go from the Under-21s to the full team. But there’s a pecking order right now. But he’s close.”