Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles has been linked with a move to Chelsea.
The London Evening Standard have reported that Premier League champions Chelsea are keeping an eye on Newcastle United captain Jamaal Lascelles ahead of the summer transfer window.
The 24-year-old has starred with the armband at St. James’ Park this season, and it comes as no surprise that the bigger Premier League sides are interested in nabbing his signature.
Chelsea are said to hold a strong interest in the former Nottingham Forest stopper, and Newcastle could struggle to keep their best defender on Tyneside with the lure of Stamford Bridge difficult to turn down.
Newcastle should do all they can to keep Lascelles, but if they are resigned to losing the defender, then they should attempt to include a Chelsea centre-back in the deal to soften the blow.
It should turn their attention to powerhouse defender Kurt Zouma, who boasts similar qualities to Lascelles in terms of strength, comfort in possession and an aerial prowess in both defence and attack.
It is unclear to what amount Zouma has a future at Stamford Bridge, but the French rock is currently on loan at Premier League side Stoke City. He has a contract with Chelsea until the summer of 2023.
But including Zouma in a deal, perhaps with some other added incentives, would see Newcastle certainly ease the loss of arguably their best players of 2017-18 so far.
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