Newcastle United transfer news latest as Toon 'join race' to sign Liverpool, Chelsea target in summer

Newcastle United have reportedly joined the race to sign defender Kim Min-jae from Bayern Munich, hoping to beat the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea to his signature.

The Toon managed to secure Champions League football for next season on the final day of the 2024-25 campaign, as while they lost against Everton, Aston Villa's defeat against Manchester United was enough to cement a fifth-placed finish.

Boss Eddie Howe has confirmed that the club intend to conduct significant business in the transfer window, though Bryan Mbeumo is said to prefer a move to Manchester United.

However, despite the fact that they could miss out on a key target, Newcastle will be confident of attracting a number of stars now that they know they will be playing in Europe's premier club competition.

A report from Caught Offside claim that the Toon are keen on beating Liverpool and Chelsea to Bayern centre-back Kim Min-jae, with a fee of £29m thought to be enough to sign the 28-year-old.

What do Newcastle need to compete at the top?

Newcastle have made significant progress during Howe's tenure at the club, winning the EFL Cup in 2024-25 and twice qualifying for the Champions League.

The next step for the team will be to establish themselves as a regular in the competition rather than battling for a place in the tournament alongside the likes of Aston Villa.

Considering they already boast arguably one of the best midfields in the league - few can claim to have a better trio than Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes - perhaps it would be best to focus on reinforcing elsewhere on the pitch.

The club have been linked with winger Anthony Elanga, and his pace would help threaten in behind opposition defensive lines.

While centre-back Sven Botman has performed excellently at St James' Park, he has started just 21 Premier League games in the last two seasons.

Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi has been touted as a potential target, and perhaps the Eagles man would be able to form a partnership with Kim Min-jae.

There are also question marks about goalkeeper Nick Pope given he is 33, though the Toon have been linked with Burnley's James Trafford as a potential successor.

Written by
Lewis Nolan