Barcelona are reportedly in talks with a Premier League club over the potential exit of defender Andreas Christensen.
The Denmark international began his senior career in the English top flight with Chelsea and spent eight years at Stamford Bridge - including a two-year loan at Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach - before joining Barcelona on a free transfer in July 2022.
Christensen has since made a total of 75 appearances for the Catalan giants across all tournaments, but he has only featured once this season due to a troublesome Achilles injury.
The 28-year-old is now back in training and is closing in on a return, but he may struggle to force his way into Hansi Flick's first-team plans, as 17-year-old prodigy Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez have formed a strong centre-back partnership so far this season.
Ronald Araujo is also closing in on a return from injury and he, along with Eric Garcia, seem to be ahead of Christensen in the pecking order, leading to suggestions that the latter could be heading for the exit door.
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Newcastle in talks to sign Barcelona's Christensen
Christensen is under contract at Camp Nou until June 2026, but his future at the club is uncertain as it is understood that Barcelona have no plans to extend his current deal.
In a bid to balance their books and generate funds for new signings, Barcelona have been tipped to sell some of their fringe players, including Christensen, in 2025.
According to CaughtOffside, Newcastle United have been in contact with Barca over the potential transfer of Christensen, who could be made available by the Catalan club for €30m (£24.7m).
The report adds that Christensen is also on the radar of Manchester United, who have been long-term admirers of the defender, although they will look to prioritise signing a new left-back in the short term.
Meanwhile, Christensen has also been linked with a move to Italy, with both Juventus and Inter Milan said to be monitoring his situation.
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Could Newcastle sign Christensen in January or next summer?
After failing to sign Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi last summer, with multiple big-money bids rejected, Newcastle remain keen to sign a new central defender and appear to have identified Christensen as one of their targets.
Fabian Schar and Dan Burn have featured regularly at centre-back this season, as both Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles have been sidelined for several months with ACL injuries.
While Christensen offers plenty of experience at the highest level, it remains to be seen whether Newcastle will have the funds available to agree a fee close to Barcelona's £24.7m valuation for the defender.
Eddie Howe recently admitted that he "can't guarantee" that the Magpies will not make an unpopular sale in the January transfer window amid fears of breaching financial rules.
Newcastle were forced to sell Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively in the summer in order to avoid breaching the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules.
Oliver Thomas
