A promising update has emerged on Newcastle's pursuit of Axel Tuanzebe...
What's the talk?
According to Football Insider, the Magpies are currently leading the race to land the Manchester United centre-back on a season-long loan. Steve Bruce is said to have assured the Red Devils that the 23-year-old will be a regular starter, which could give them the edge ahead of Aston Villa.
The report claims that Villa remain interested in signing the defender and Dean Smith's side will have no issues with paying Manchester United's loan fee demands, which is described as 'multi-million'.
Fans must be buzzing
Newcastle fans must be buzzing if the club can get a deal over the line for the defender, whilst paying a reasonable loan fee for his services. Bruce's talks with Manchester United have seemingly reassured them that the centre-back will get regular game-time and that could tempt the Red Devils to lower the loan fee in order to reward the Magpies for giving him experience.
The EDP have reported that Norwich have agreed a deal with Chelsea which will see the loan fee for Billy Gilmour decrease based on how many games he plays for the Canaries in the Premier League. Newcastle could look to agree a similar structure with Manchester United, thus making the move for Tuanzebe more attractive for both parties.
If Newcastle can iron out such a deal, it would be ideal from the financial and football aspects, and Magpies supporters will surely be delighted to see the club bring in a talented young defender who could provide serious competition at centre-back.
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lavished praise on Tuanzebe after an impressive display against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last year, calling him a tremendous defender.
The Norwegian said: "Axel's a tremendous defender, a great leader. He's come through the academy and we've known for years that he's going to be a top player for us and he's got the character and the attitude that a Man United player should have.
Solskjaer added: "Sometimes you’ll get in a foot race with Mbappe and you have to run with him and we know Axel’s qualities, he’s a top defender."
This suggests that Tuanzebe has the quality to make an impact at Champions League level, so he could stand out if given the chance to play week in, week out in the Premier League. However, it is hard to make definitive statements on his ability as he has not had a wealth of experience in the top flight, starting just six Premier League games in the last two seasons.
The fact he has been able to put in a superb performance against Kylian Mbappe in the Champions League is exciting, though, and the Toon Army will surely be looking forward to seeing what he can do for Newcastle should they get this one over the line.
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