Newcastle United make ‘official enquiry’ for £38m Premier League defender that Paul Mitchell is a huge fan of

Newcastle United have expressed an interest in signing Chelsea centre back Axel Disasi this summer.

The Magpies are in the market for defensive reinforcements following long-term injuries to centre back duo Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles, who are both expected to miss several months of the season.

Newcastle’s defensive problems proved to be their downfall in a seventh place finish last season, and despite keeping a clean sheet on the opening day, their need for a centre back was only escalated by Fabian Schar’s controversial red card in a 1-0 victory over Southampton.

Eddie Howe’s side have been heavily linked with a move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi after his excellent performances for England at Euro 2024. But after three failed attempts to land the defender, it appears that Newcastle will be unable to meet Crystal Palace’s rising valuation of supposedly £70m .The Eagles are already in the process of selling fellow centre back Joachim Andersen to join Fulham in a £30m deal this summer and it seems increasingly unlikely that Palace will sell both defensive options in the same window.

Last week, the Athletic reported that Newcastle were already making contingency plans to move for other centre back options this summer - and with just 10 days to go in the window it is suspected that one of their first choices could be Chelsea defender Axel Disasi. Sky Sports News understands that the Magpies have made an ‘official enquiry’ to try and sign 26-year-old just one year on from his £38m arrival from AS Monaco last summer.

Disasi made 44 appearances for a Chelsea team that finished sixth in the Premier League last season, securing a return to Europa League football while also reaching a League Cup final and an FA Cup semi-final. The five-time French international was a regular fixture in Maurico Pochettino’s team but faces an uncertain future under new boss Enzo Maresca, who already has a surplus of players at his disposal.

As it stands, Chelsea have Benoît Badiashile, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, summer signing Tosin Adarabioyo and Renato Veiga all fighting for a starting spot alongside Diasi while Trevoh Chalobah has also been exiled from the Blues’ first team set-up. Marseca started the season with Colwill and Fofana while Disasi was left out of the matchday squad entirely on matchday one.

Disasi had a steady first season at Stamford Bridge after making the move from AS Monaco and is already a player that Sporting Director Paul Mitchell is familiar with from his time at AS Monaco.

Infact, Mitchell instigated Disasi’s move from Reims to Monaco in 2020 for just £11m in a move which proved to be a masterstroke for the high-flying French side. Prior to moving to Chelsea, Disasi made 99 appearances for the Red and Whites forming a key part of a backline for a team which always finished inside the top six during his three seasons at the Stade Louis II stadium.

Newcastle World also understands that Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba is a potential target after his invincible season with Bayer Leverkusen last season. Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie claims that both players could be bought for less than the figure that Crystal Palace are charging for Disasi and adds that the signing could save funds for other areas of the pitch with the right winger position also being a cause for concern.