The £30m defender transfer that could see Newcastle United land key summer target

Crystal Palace are reportedly considering a Bayer Leverkusen’s Odilon Kossounou as a possible acquisition in the event that Newcastle United are finally able to prize Marc Guehi away from Selhurst Park.

The Magpies are said to have launched a third bid for the English defender, after two offers were rejected by Palace. Sky Sports’ Keith Downie reported that Newcastle had submitted an offer which was ‘closer’ to the Eagles desired £65m and Oliver Glasner’s side are said to be considering it.

It is suggested that this third offer is in the region of £55m plus achievable add-ons which would be enough to land the 24-year-old Euros star. The former Chelsea youth star was enjoying a huge amount of transfer interest before being sidelined for the latter part of the 2023/24 season through injury.

However, with Harry Maguire out of action for the Euros 2024 campaign, Guehi stepped up tremendously to the mark and his admirers once again returned with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and the Magpies all keeping tabs on his transfer progress.

If this latest bid is subsequently accepted, Glasner is reportedly monitoring Leverkusen’s 23-year-old Kossounou who was part of the German club’s incredible Bundesliga success last season.

Born in the same city as Guehi, Kossounou came up through the ASEC Mimosas youth ranks. The defender first joined Bayer Leverkusen for a reported fee of €23 million (£19.6) - after stints with Hammerby and Club Brugge - and last campaign played 34 times for as the club won the Bundesliga without losing a single match. The club also won the DFB-Pokal Cup and reached the final of the UEFA Europa League competition.

Kossounou also has 24 international appearances to his name, making his debut in a 1-1 friendly against Belgium. He recently competed in the nation’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign, making three appearances, including the final in which Ivory Coast beat Nigeria 2-1.

According to reports on Soccerment, Kossounou enjoys one of the highest tackle success ratios in Europe thanks to his excellent timing. The Ivorian Coast star currently enjoys a TransferMarkt value of €35m (£30m) but it is not yet known how much the Eagles would have to cough up to prize him away from Xabi Alonso’s set-up.

Palace have also been linked with a move for Wolfsburg’s 24-year-old star Maxence Lacroix who started 27 league matches, registering five-goal contributions as the German side finished 12th in the Bundesliga.