Newcastle United have moved back in to try and sign Freiburg defender Nico Schlotterbeck despite him snubbing a move earlier this month.
That’s according to the Daily Mail, who claim that Newcastle have re-opened talks with Schlotterbeck’s representatives in the hope of a deal.
90Min reported earlier this month that Schlotterbeck had actually rejected the notion of a move to Newcastle after initial contact was made.
The bid was worth more than £40million, a staggering fee for the 22-year-old as Newcastle chase a defender.
It’s stated that Newcastle have now come back in for Schlotterbeck, and the defender is back at the negotiating table to listen to offers.
The problem for Newcastle is that Bayern Munich have already registered their interest in signing Schlotterbeck for the summer.
With Newcastle in real danger of suffering relegation, Schlotterbeck would be taking a huge risk joining them before Bayern can make their move.
Still, Newcastle must have been given some glimmer of hope to even try and change the defender’s mind.
Compared to Mats Hummels, Schlotterbeck has been outstanding for Freiburg this season and is now around the Germany setup.
Adept at bringing the ball out from the back, Schlotterbeck is also tall at 6ft 3in tall has plenty of pace.
The key factor here is that Schlotterbeck is a left-footed centre back – something Eddie Howe is desperate to add.
Nathan Ake was superb for Howe at Bournemouth, and Newcastle have been linked with the likes of Sven Botman, Benoit Badiashile and Lloyd Kelly.
Schlotterbeck would mark a huge coup for Newcastle, but convincing him to change his mind won’t be easy.
With Bayern looming, Newcastle will need to pull out all the stops and make Schlotterbeck an offer he simply can’t refuse – or actually let this transfer chase go once and for all.
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