West Ham And Newcastle Scout £5m 15-Cap Senegal Centre-Back

Newcastle United and West Ham United continue to monitor the progress of Genk centre-back Kara Mbodji - with the duo both having sent scouts to watch him play this week. Everton are the third Premier League side interested in signing the 25-year-old Senegal international, but it appears both the Magpies and the Hammers have upped their pursuit of the £5 million-rated defender. Scouts from Newcastle and West Ham were dispatched to Belgium to watch Kara play during Genk's 1-0 friendly win over Charlton Athletic on Wednesday night. It is no secret that Newcastle are looking to boost their defensive ranks and they retain an interest in at least four other centre-backs, including Schalke 04's Joel Matip and Ajax's Joel Veltman. Yet it seems that Kara is very much on Newcastle, Everton and West Ham's radar, with the Genk defender reportedly available for transfer this summer. Mark McKay, Kara's agent, is quoted in the Daily Mail as saying:

"There is plenty of interest in Kara - he's big, powerful but composed too. "He'd be an asset to any Premier League side and he's keen to test himself in England."

Kara's versatility will certainly be of interest to Newcastle, with the 15-cap Senegal international able to play at both centre-back and as a defensive-midfielder. The 6ft 4in defender started his career at Tromso in Norway, for who he made 70 league appearances and scored eight times, before moving to Genk for £1 million in December 2012. As well as winning the Belgian Cup during his first season at Genk, Kara has made 73 league appearances for the club to date, scoring on four occasions. Interestingly, Kara was also a member of Senegal's 2012 Olympic side, and he scored during the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow whatculture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.