Newcastle United’s move to Aymen Abdennour of Monaco could very much depend on where Mike Williamson is plying his trade by the end of the
transfer window, say Chronicle Live. The Magpies want to bring in the defender, but can’t do so until long-serving Williamson leaves St. James’ Park.
Williamson is likely to struggle for minutes this season regardless of whether Abdennour arrives, as Steven Taylor, Chancel Mbemba and Fabrizio Coloccini all lie ahead of him in the pecking order. He’d be pushed even further out into the cold were the Monaco defender to arrive, but The Magpies want him gone before then, so as not to leave them with a surplus of central defenders.
Abdennour is likely to set Newcastle back by £15 million, as one of their most expensive acquisitions this summer, right alongside Georginio Wijnaldum. However, he has offers from elsewhere – largely in Serie A – and The Magpies could miss out if they don’t manage to find a buyer for Mike Williamson quickly enough.
Williamson has played 150 league games for Newcastle since he moved from Portsmouth in January 2010. Abdennour, only 26, has 150 league games throughout his career, and earlier in 2015 signed a new deal keeping him in Ligue 1 until 2019.
