Newcastle eye 25-year-old Chelsea player to strengthen defence

Newcastle United is interested in signing Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney and Chelsea’s Marc Cucrella

Newcastle United are now looking to upgrade their left-back position as they target Arsenal’s left-back Kieran Tierney along with Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella.

According to the Telegraph (Subscription Required) [h/t Football.London] the Magpies are looking to make a loan move for either Tierney or Cucurella to reinforce their left-back position for this season after qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.

Since the takeover of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, Newcastle have turned into an elite side, going from battling in the relegation zone to finishing fourth last season.

They have made decent signings, such as the acquisition of Sandro Tonali from AC Milan after already signing the likes of Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman and Harvey Barnes. And Eddie How is now looking to strengthen his full-back area before the end of the transfer window.

It remains to be seen if Chelsea are open to loaning Cucurella, who has failed to make a mark since the Blues signed him for £60 million from Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea have decent depth in their left-back area with Ben Chilwell and Ian Maatsen, so the departure of the former Brighton star won’t hurt.

But a major talking point here would be Chelsea then helping out a direct top-four rival strengthen their team. It could backfire if the Spaniard has a great season there and eventually costs us in the long run this season.

Meanwhile, Tierney’s exit could be feasible, as the Gunners are open to selling the left-back but not on loan. However, an injury to Jurrien Timber has left them light in that department, with Oleksandr Zinchenko now being their only option.

Cucurella (25) wasn’t impressive in pre-season; he was poor, and at times it looks like he has failed to adjust at Chelsea since leaving Brighton. He was an excellent left-back under Graham Potter at the Seagulls, but under the same manager, he struggled at Chelsea.

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Chilwell also started the game for us against Liverpool but Gary Neville recently made a point saying that the Blues have to watch out for the fitness of their two full-backs if they want Mauricio Pochettino’s system to work. One injury to Chilwell, who has had a fair share of those recently, can prove problematic for us in that regard.