Newcastle United Set to Sign £30M Defender Once on Sunderland’s Radar

This summer, Sunderland are prioritizing the signing of one or several defenders, and curiously, Newcastle United could sign one of their targets.

Recently, the Black Cats have been linked to players like Celtic's Cameron Carter-Vickers (27), Liverpool's Joe Gomez (28), or Millwall's Japhet Tanganga (26).

Back in 2022, the Lads had in their sights a center-back who today shines with Brighton & Hove Albion, but maybe signing him today would be more difficult than before, thanks to the Magpies.

Newcastle set to sign former Sunderland target Jan Paul van Hecke

According to 3 Added Minutes, Newcastle are beginning procedures to sign Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke, who was wanted by Sunderland in the summer of 2022.

Valued at £30 million, Van Hecke has become a fundamental piece for the Seagulls' defense in the last two seasons.

Just in the previous season, the Dutchman played 34 matches in the Premier League, starting in 33 of them, averaging 87 minutes per game, registering seven clean sheets, and appearing twice in SofaScore's team of the week.

In the latest edition of the UEFA Nations League, Van Hecke was also important for the Netherlands, starting in three of the four matches he played, averaging 86 minutes per game.

At 25 years old, it's no surprise the center-back is of interest to Newcastle, and while considering Sunderland are in search of a defender, it could be logical they revived their interest in the Dutchman, the Magpies could end quickly with that intention.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is understood to be targeting a centre-half this summer, with concerns over injuries and the ageing profiles of current optionsJames Copley, Sunderland Echo

Regardless, the Black Cats are tracking several highly interesting players for this position, including the aforementioned Carter-Vickers, Gomez, and Tanganga, with 28-year-old Olympique Lyonnais defender Duje Caleta-Car recently added to the list.

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