Reported Newcastle United target Phil Jones is now attracting interest from Ligue 1 side Bordeaux as a potential replacement for former Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny.
According to the Daily Mail, the 17th-place French club are keen to add to their defensive ranks after the ex-Gunners star was banished from the senior squad after a falling out with the manager and other officials.
Koscielny infamously forced a move away from Arsenal in 2018, causing the defender to be banished from the club’s pre-season tour of America and the north London side accepting an offer from Bordeaux.
As reported by the Sun, Newcastle are also keen on signing Jones, who has featured just once for Manchester United this season. The 29-year-old, who earns a reported £110,000-a-week, has seen his career plagued with injuries in recent seasons.
However, Jones now looks set to leave Manchester after 11 years with the Premier League giants, with Bordeaux seemingly the favourites to sign the former England international despite interest from Newcastle and Benfica, as per the Daily Mail.
With Newcastle still yet to sign a centre-back this January, losing out on a target like Jones could be a huge blow, especially with the defender now set to replace a former Premier League captain in Koscielny.
Newcastle should hijack Bordeaux’s move for Jones
Jones might not be Newcastle supporters’ first choice as a defensive signing, yet with time running out and the likes of Diego Carlos and Dan Burn out of the running, the United centre-back could be an ideal option.
Indeed, with Bordeaux keen to have Jones replace a defender with a CV as impressive as Koscielny’s, Newcastle could be missing out on a trick with the 29-year-old, who will no doubt want to prove his worth after the past few years with United.
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