Newcastle plot agonising Leeds United raid as journalist rules out swoop for costly duo

Newcastle United will not be able to spend vast amounts on a new defender to cover for long-term injury victim Sven Botman this summer with moves for both Antonio Silva and Leny Yoro ruled out – but they do reportedly have a flourising Leeds star in their sights instead.

Eddie Howe’s side have struggled to match their own high standards of last season when Newcastle finished fourth in the Premier League to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years. This time around, the Magpies find themselves way off the pace and are currently 10th in the Premier League, having already lost 10 of their 28 matches played so far.

While the club will continue trying to finish as high up as possible – and they remain only four points adrift of West Ham in seventh, the position usually regarded as the cut-off point for European qualification – their efforts have been seriously undermined by a worrying spate of injuries that have blighted their season to this point.

And with number one goalkeeper Nick Pope sidelined by a shoulder issue and with big-money summer signing Harvey Barnes only recently recovering from a long-standing foot injury, their woes have now escalated after seeing classy centre-half Botman suffer a tear to his ACL in their FA Cup exit at the hands of Manchester City last weekend.

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As a result, Newcastle are likely to be without their star defender for not just the remainder of this season, but also the opening months of the 2024/25 campaign, with his lay-off anticipated to be anywhere between six to nine months.

Newcastle target Leny Yoro set for Real Madrid

The agonising loss of the 24-year-old Dutch defender leaves Howe with another huge absence to fill, and the position is now said to have become of paramount importance ahead of the summer window.

To that end, they have already been linked with a number of high-profile arrivals to fill the void as the club looks to bring in a top-class replacement.

Two of those linked are considered two of the best young defenders in the world game, with Benfica defender Silva and Yoro of Lille both reportedly in Howe’s sights.

However, both come with lofty price tags with Silva’s Benfica exit clause set at €100m and Lille rating 18-year-old old Yoro at at least €60m.

As a result, journalist Graeme Bailey has explained why neither move will go through.

“The best young one in Europe for me is Antonio Silva,” he told Geordie Boot Boys.

“But I don’t think Newcastle are in the market for him. He’s a bit too far. He’s like a Rolls Royce, that boy!”

Bailed added: “Leny Yoro as well, I think he’s out of Newcastle’s range too, because he’ll probably go to Real Madrid.”

Newcastle could turn to Leeds loanee Joe Rodon

However, the Magpies are in the market for a new defender and one cut-price option who is reportedly now under strong consideration is Leeds United loanee defender Joe Rodon.

The Wales international has enjoyed a stunning season with Leeds, who have overhauled Leicester’s 17-point lead at the Championship summit to thrust themselves firmly into the automatic promotion mix.

The Whites have won 12 of their 13 games in the Championship since the turn of the year, with Rodon establishing himself as one of the first names on their teamsheet and with Leeds having only conceding three league goals in 2024.

Incredibly, none of those concessions has come from open play, with Rodon’s form earning him plenty of admirers as a result.

TEAMtalk revealed earlier this month that the player is keen to make his loan move from Tottenham permanent this summer and is strongly keen to make the move to Elland Road a long term one and regardless of what division Leeds find themselves in next season.

Indeed, that move will almost certainly go through and for a fee of around £12m to £15m if Leeds to secure their return to the English elite. To that end, Tottenham will not stand in Rodon’s way having made it clear he does not have a future in north London under Ange Postecoglou.

However, any failure to seal promotion will see Leeds exposed to potentially missing out on his signing, with Newcastle’s status as a Premier League giving them a significant advantage over the Whites in the battle for his signature.

Wales star happy at Leeds and hints at permanent move

As it stands, the 26-year-old’s immediate goal is to help his nation qualify for Euro 2024, where they face a play-off final clash against Poland on Tuesday to determine their fate.

After that game is done, Rodon will return to Leeds and aim to help see them over the finish line in the hunt for promotion. They return to action on Good Friday with a match against Watford at Vicarage Road.

While giving little away on his future, he has admitted he’s very much enjoyed his time at Leeds, where he played more games in one season than at any other time in his career.

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“Over the last couple of years it’s been sticky and I’ve not had the game time I’ve wanted,” he said this week.

“But I settled in quickly and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve been playing every week and that’s only going to give you more confidence.

“I’m in a really good place physically and mentally. But it’s not just at Leeds (where Wales trio Connor Roberts, Daniel James and Ethan Ampadu are teammates), most of the players are players are playing regularly. For Wales that’s really important and maybe the first time we’ve had that for a while. It’s only going to help.”

Rodon’s Tottenham deal is due to expire in summer 2025.