Newcastle United are enjoying a busy summer as they prepare the squad for the club's first Champions League campaign in 20 years.
The Magpies have already completed the sensational signing of Sandro Tonali for £55m, and are reportedly chasing Leicester’s Harvey Barnes and Southampton’s Tino Livramento.
The latest target to be added to this impressive selection of players is Axel Disasi.
What’s the latest on Axel Disasi to Newcastle United?
According to FootballTransfers, Newcastle have agreed personal terms with the Monaco titan ahead of a possible summer transfer.
The outlet revealed that a Premier League side 'approached' the player and received the “green light” from his camp, based on the understanding he will receive first-team football next season.
However, it is understood that Manchester United are also keen on the centre-back, but they will only make a move if they can offload Harry Maguire.
Earlier in the week, Fabrizio Romano echoed this sentiment, stating that both sides are “exploring” the deal. The journalist’s view suggests that the Magpies are slightly in the lead for his signature as they’re expected to make contact this week, whilst Monaco is still waiting for the Red Devils to initiate an approach.
It's thought that a bid of around €50m (£43m) would be enough to secure his signature, as Monaco has already identified Southampton’s Armel Bella-Kotchap as a potential replacement.
Is Axel Disasi a good signing for Newcastle United?
The 25-year-old has been at Monaco since 2020 and has made 129 appearances in all competitions.
But this season is when the Frenchman has royally cemented himself into international prominence, playing in every Ligue 1 game, starting 37 of them.
Disasi has previously been described as a “complete” player by Jacek Kulig and it is easy to understand why. The £12k-per-week star ranks within the 81st percentile of defenders in Europe’s top five leagues who have played at least 1350 minutes for aerials won and possession won per 90.
As well as this magnificent defensive acumen, the 6 foot 3 mountain sits within the best 7% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive passes, progressive carries, and successful take-ons per 90.
He is the perfectly curated mould of physicality and ball-playing competence, possessing the potential to form a frightening centre-back partnership with Sven Botman, who has also enjoyed a phenomenal year.
In his debut term in England, the former Lille colossus was a pillar of solidity and composure.
He made 35 starts, keeping 11 clean sheets, winning 67% of his total duels, as Newcastle, alongside Manchester City, conceded the joint least goals (33) in the division.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp is a firm believer that Botman exudes limitless potential and could be a Premier League legend, saying:
“We’ve seen some good centre-backs in this league (but) he’s got the capabilities to be better than them. He’s a real leader of men – what a special player he is.”
It is a wonderfully exciting dawn for Newcastle and the prospect of being able to flaunt the pairing of Disasi and Botman could make Eddie Howe’s side an even more formidable outfit come August as they embark on an exciting new dawn in Europe.