Premier League defender Pape Souare is reportedly set to leave Crystal Palace so Newcastle United and Championship Aston Villa should act.
We are not even two months into the new season but fans of Newcastle United and Aston Villa will already be dreaming of a new left-back in 2019.
Both sides spent the entire summer being linked with a whole host of new signings, but Newcastle missed out on the likes of Nicolas Tagliafico and Jorge while Aston Villa were beaten to Joe Bryan by Premier League newcomers Fulham in dramatic fashion.
Newcastle and Villa, then, should both be on red alert as the Mirror (16 September, page 48) reports that Pape Souare is set to bid farewell to Crystal Palace in the New Year.
The Senegal international has struggled to regain a starting place after suffering serious injuries in a car crash two years ago and has featured in just one Premier League game so far this season for Roy Hodgson.
But, at 28, Souare has plenty of time to get his career back on track.
He would be an affordable addition for a Newcastle side who seem unable to spend big under Mike Ashley’s leadership, providing some much needed competition for Paul Dummett. Sky Sports reported in January that Rafa Benitez was keen on Souare.
Villa, meanwhile, have only one senior left-back in Neil Taylor and Souare could potentially offer a much greater threat going forward than the Welsh international.
With Souare out of contract in 2019, watch this space.
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