Newcastle United are reportedly considering a move for Monaco centre-back Axel Disasi this summer as they prepare for a return to the Champions League.
After enjoying a remarkable 22/23 campaign, finishing fourth in the Premier League and reaching the Carabao Cup final, Eddie Howe's side are strengthening the various sections of the field to consolidate their return to European competition.
Midfielder Sandro Tonali has already been signed from AC Milan for £55m, but further work must be forged across the defensive and attacking thirds.
Could Newcastle sign Axel Disasi?
According to Caught Offside, Disasi's name remains on the list at St. James's Park after reports of the club's interest have surfaced over the past several weeks, with Manchester United also eyeing a deal.
The Ligue 1 giants would reportedly want around €40m (£34m), for the 25-year-old defender, which could be an affordable price for a talented ace – who is also out of contract in just two years' time.
Speaking to Caught Offside in a separate report, French football expert Jonathan Johnson has confirmed that the Frenchman is "strongly linked" to the Toon side, saying that he would "boost their Champions League aspirations."
How good is Axel Disasi?
While Newcastle did complete the 22/23 Premier League campaign with a joint-division strongest defence – alongside Manchester City (both 33 goals conceded) – Howe will know of the importance of bolstering the ranks to ensure the commendable progress made over the past several years does not stagnate.
And Disasi could be viewed as the perfect titan to enter the fray and cement a starting berth, having played an instrumental role for the Rouges et blancs over the past few seasons, forging 129 displays and being hailed as "complete & dominant" and a "hidden gem" by scout Jacek Kulig.
The four-cap France international – who made his debut at the 2022 World Cup – certainly seems to fit the mould of a top-class modern defender, with FBref ranking him among the top 7% of centre-backs 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.
Effectively, what this suggests is that the £12k-per-week gem can contribute with a direct goal threat and can provide superlative support from deep with his ball-playing skills.
Intriguingly, Marseille's Chancel Mbemba is considered the 6 foot 3 mountain's most comparable player on FBref, which could tee Howe up to expunge the demons of the Magpies' failed signing of the Congolese star, who signed for £8m from Belgian team Anderlecht in 2015 and made 59 appearances on Tyneside before departing for Porto in 2018 for £7m.
The lion's share of Mbemba's outings in black and white came in the first of his three terms on English shores, where he played 33 league matches but failed to prevent United from suffering relegation from the top-flight – from that point on, a peripheral role was all the 28-year-old could muster.
The 69-cap international now ranks among the top 1% of positional peers for goals, the top 13% for shot-creating actions and the top 6% for both progressive passes and progressive carries per 90, indeed cut from the cloth as Disasi.
While Mbemba's Newcastle career concluded long before Howe's arrival as manager, he could finally avenge the wayward signing by signing a new and improved version of what once seemed an astute buy for a prodigious talent.