Ron Vlaar (Free Agent, Formerly Of Aston Villa) Another experienced defender available on a free transfer this summer if he fails to agree terms with Aston Villa, Ron Vlaar was tipped to move to Newcastle by the Shields Gazette - but it now appears likely that Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur will snap him up. Joel Matip (Schalke 04) A defender who is believed to be extremely close to the top of Newcastle's summer shopping list, The Chronicle claimed towards the end of June that the Magpies had launched an initial bid for the £10 million-rated Schalke 04 centre-back. Lewis Dunk (Brighton & Hove Albion) Goals are not something Magpies defenders tend to contribute - and that is possibly one of the reasons why they were linked to Brighton & Hove Albion's top scorer in 2014-15, Lewis Dunk. The Mirror claimed Steve McClaren was willing to part with £5 million for the defender, Craig Dawson (West Bromwich Albion) Another centre-back that Newcastle are reportedly interested in is West Bromwich Albion's Craig Dawson, according to ESPN FC. Tony Pulis is keen for him to remain at The Hawthorns, however, and the Magpies would need to pay upwards of £2.5 million to sign Dawson. Joel Veltman (Ajax) Desperate for defenders and keen to exploit the reasonably-priced Dutch market for another Daryl Janmaat-esque gem, The Chronicle reported that the Magpies were scouting 23-year-old Ajax centre-back Joel Veltman - a player rated at between £8 million and £10 million. Brundo Martins Indi (Porto) The likes of Manchester United and Arsenal may have been credited with an interest in Porto defender Bruno Martins Indi, but The Chronicle also claim that Newcastle have scouted the 23-year-old for several seasons. Aymen Abdennour (Monaco) Reports in France claimed that Newcastle had gone as far as to bid £12 million for one of Europe's most-sought after defenders right now. Aymen Abdennour starred at Monaco last season and Newcastle, Liverpool, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Juventus and West Ham United are among the clubs chasing the Tunisian centre-back.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
