Newcastle United are considering a move for Monaco centre-half Axel Disasi, who has been tracked by Premier League rivals Manchester United all summer.
Who wants to sign Axel Disasi?
That's according to journalist Dean Jones, who recently revealed to GIVEMESPORT that the Magpies hold a "true" interest in the France international.
He did, however, downplay rumours that negotiations were advancing, saying: “I feel like this deal has got a little bit ahead of itself at the moment. Newcastle deny that anything formal is happening here with Disasi.
"At the moment, I'm told that Newcastle haven’t progressed this deal as far as it’s been reported. But there is an interest, so that part is true.”
The Daily Mail claimed before the summer that the 25-year-old is valued at £44m by his French Ligue 1 outfit, and with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano corroborating Jones' claims by stating that "the interest is serious" it could be one to watch over the next several weeks.
How good is Axel Disasi?
Last term, Disasi succeeded in cementing himself as one of French football's standout defensive stars, with the ace having scored three goals and assists apiece, kept nine clean sheets, averaged 2.6 clearances per game and succeeded in an impressive 70% of his aerial duels, via Sofascore.
The £12k-per-week gem is the exemplifier of a modern-day central defender, tall and imposing, slick and composed and boasting a ball-playing ability far above the throngs of positional peers on the European scene.
Indeed, as per FBref, Disasi ranks among the top 7% of centre-halfs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 5% for assists, the top 4% for progressive passes and progressive carries, the top 7% for successful take-ons and the top 14% for interceptions per 90.
This illustrates the player's first-rate ability across forward-thinking metrics, and given his aforementioned aerial dominance and defensive acumen, he could not only become the centrepiece of Howe's backline but also provide midfielder conductor Bruno Guimaraes with the framework to unlock the full scale of his skill set.
Arriving from Lyon for around £40m in January 2022, the 25-year-old has been integral in the construction of a formidable outfit at St. James's Park, having made 57 appearances, scoring ten goals and providing six assists, subsequently earning praise from teammate Dan Burn as "world-class".
An all-encompassing midfielder of the highest distinction, Guimaraes ranks among the top 13% of positional peers for shot-creating actions, the top 12% for progressive passes, the top 13% for successful take-ons and the top 23% for tackles per 90.
And having recorded an average Sofascore rating of 7.17 in the Premier League, registering nine direct contributions, completing 81% of his passes, averaging 2.4 tackles per game and succeeding with 57% of his duels, one can only imagine the upswing if Disasi's prospective transfer went to plan.
If Howe can indeed capture the essence of the four-cap Frenchman's abilities while retaining the Tyneside squad's imperiousness in defence, Guimaraes would be able to ply his trade with the perfect auxiliary support from deep, while staying assured that he can instigate forward transitions without the threat of a defensive collapse behind him.
Praised for his "dominant" approach by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Disasi would be the dream acquisition for Newcastle, and he could provide the squad with a collective boost to reach the club's lofty ambitions.
