Liverpool and Chelsea ‘join race’ for £68m Newcastle United ‘target’ as West Ham ‘eye’ duo

Here, we round-up all the latest stories that have emerged surrounding Newcastle United and beyond:

West Ham ‘eye’ duo on free transfer

West Ham have reportedly shown interest in signing both Lloyd Kelly and Tosin Adarabioyo this summer. The pair have entered the final few months of their respective deals at Bournemouth and Fulham and could be on the move when the season concludes.

Newcastle United have recently been linked with a move for both Kelly and Adarabioyo as they look for ways to strengthen their defence whilst complying with the Premier League’s financial restrictions. Worries over Jamaal Lascelles and Sven Botman, who will both miss the beginning of the campaign with ACL injuries, mean the Magpies will look to strengthen their back line in summer.

The Hammers, meanwhile, may also look to freshen up their defence and could also look towards the Cherries and Cottagers duo as options this summer.

Liverpool and Chelsea join defender race

Elsewhere, Chelsea and Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande this summer - according to Football Transfers. Diomande has impressed for Sporting this season and has been linked with a big-money move away from the Portuguese club this summer.

Newcastle United and Arsenal have previously been linked with a move for the 20-year-old, but these fresh reports suggest they will face stiff competition if they want to seal his signature. Diomande reportedly has a £68m release clause in his current contract and it is anticipated that any clubs wanting to sign him this summer will have to trigger this clause.

Both Liverpool and Chelsea, however, will enter the summer window as unknown quantities. Chelsea may not be able to spend as lavishly as they have in recent transfer windows because of financial restrictions, whilst Jurgen Klopp’s departure has ushered in a restructuring of footballing operations behind the scenes at Anfield.

Newcastle United may also have to spend-wisely this summer as they aim to stay within PSR constraints with a big-money move for someone like Diomande only likely if they are able to sell either one of their big assets, or they can move on a few squad players and raise funds that way.