Newcastle United are one of four Premier League clubs who are interested in making a potential January move to sign Middlesbrough defender Djed Spence.
The Magpies are thought to have been making regular checks over the performances of Spence during the first few weeks of the Championship season, per TEAMtalk. The defender has emerged as one of the Championship’s most promising young talents since Neil Warnock took over at the Riverside towards the end of last season.
It has been reported that Steve Bruce’s side will have funds made available to strengthen the squad during the January transfer window, despite the ongoing uncertainty over the takeover saga, per Chronicle Live.
The Magpies have been busy compiling a list of potential transfer targets as they aim to operate as business as usual and invest in the squad during the winter window, per Chronicle Live.
Spence has emerged as one of the most sort after defenders in the Championship, and the likes of Everton, Wolves and Crystal Palace have all been monitoring his progress alongside Newcastle, per TEAMtalk. Middlesbrough are thought to be keen on keeping hold of the 20-year-old, who only just signed a new deal with the club back in February.
Read Newcastle verdict
Newcastle have been pretty secure down the left-hand side of their defence with the arrival of Jamal Lewis from Norwich City seeing them have a long-term option to fill that role. However, the likes of DeAndre Yedlin, Emil Krafth and Javier Manquillo have struggled to firmly secure a place in the team at right-back.
Spence could therefore be an alternative option to fill in at right-back for the Magpies. The defender has showed his defensive potential by averaging 0.8 tackles per game, while he is also a threat going forwards having registered one goal and averaged 0.9 successful dribbles a game (Sofascore).
The 20-year-old still has plenty of room for development and Warnock has even likened him to Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
However, Boro are thought to value him at around £10m, which could be a risky fee to spend on a largely inexperienced full-back, but the fact that Everton, Wolves and Crystal Palace are all circling suggests it could be a gamble worth taking for the Magpies.
