£15m defender joins Newcastle United in Germany ahead of summer transfer

The 26-year-old spent last season on loan at Championship side Watford, making 38 appearances in all competitions. There was an option to make the move permanent but the Hornets decided against triggering the clause.

During the off-season, Lewis was pictured training with former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli and Chelsea academy graduate Nathaniel Chalobah, who recently joined Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer.

With Lewis having no future on Tyneside, the expectation was the left-back would be in the same boat as Ryan Fraser and Isaac Hayden, both of whom are training alone until their respective departures are settled.

Lewis, however, has been welcomed back into Eddie Howe’s first-team squad. He was pictured at the club’s Benton base last week and is currently with his teammates at Adidas' global headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany for a five-day training camp.

Indeed, it is set to be a repeat of last summer where Lewis featured in pre-season before joining Watford on a season-long loan.

Lewis is into the final year of his contract following his £15million arrival from Norwich City in 2020. He last played for United in May last year and has been restricted to just eight appearances since Howe was appointed head coach in November 2021.

The player’s 2021-22 season was plagued by injuries which carried on into the following year when he failed to get in the starting XI ahead of Matt Targett and Dan Burn.