Newcastle United ‘interested’ in £15m Southampton star as Gary Neville delivers verdict on European hopes

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

Newcastle United ‘interested’ in Southampton defender

According to the Sun, Newcastle United have shown interest in signing Southampton’s Mohammed Salisu. The report suggests that Newcastle could land the defender for a fee of around £15million as he has entered the final 18-months of his current contract at St Mary’s.

Southampton’s precarious position in the league could also boost Newcastle’s hopes of landing the 23-year-old in summer with the defender likely to leave the club if they drop into the Championship. The Magpies have been credited with a long-term interest in the Ghana international as they aim to sign younger players and reduce the average age of their current squad.

After joining from Real Valladolid three years ago, Salisu has made almost 80 appearances for the Saints.

Gary Neville rules on Newcastle United’s Champions League hopes

Gary Neville has given his verdict on Newcastle United’s Champions League hopes, revealing the Magpies’ struggles in-front of goal could cost them a top four spot this season. Newcastle have suffered three 2-0 defeats in a row in all competitions and Neville believes that Liverpool and Spurs now hold the advantage in the race for Champions League qualification.

Speaking on the Gary Neville podcast, he said: “I said a few weeks ago that I didn’t think Newcastle were playing well enough, they were stumbling into games, not getting goals and I thought they would struggle to get top four.

“But I never expected them to get into the top four at the start of the season, so I don’t feel that’s a disappointment or a criticism. If they finish fifth, that would be an unbelievable season for Eddie Howe and Newcastle in terms of how they’ve been quite measured, the new ownership, since they came in.

Neville added: “I think it will be Liverpool or Tottenham.”

Newcastle currently sit in 6th place in the Premier League and are four points behind Spurs in 4th, however, they have two games in-hand over their rivals.