Newcastle United 'close' to beating Spurs to statement £27m double transfer

Newcastle United are close to beating Tottenham Hotspur to the signing of two defenders on a free transfer this summer as Eddie Howe looks to avoid the injury nightmare that his side have played through this season.

The Magpies have struggled to match last season's stunning Premier League campaign with a long list of first-team stars unavailable for large spells due to injury concerns. Recently, centre-backs Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles have both sustained ACL injuries and will miss a chunk of the next campaign.

Looking to be proactive in bolstering in that position, Newcastle United are busy in the free agent market. The Evening Standard reports that the club are 'advancing in talks' to agree deals with Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo and Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly with those two stars set to leave their respective clubs on their contracts' expiry at the end of the campaign.

That could be a huge double blow for Ange Postecoglou and Spurs, with the London outfit linked with interest in both of those stars to help mend a somewhat porous defence, which has been exposed at times this term. A number of outlets, including the Evening Standard, have reported that the Lilywhites have been looking at both the Fulham and Bournemouth men.

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Adarabioyo and Kelly have amassed a total of 131 Premier League appearances between them with Transfermarkt holding the market value of the Fulham man at £13 million and the Bournemouth player at £14 million. While both can be signed for free, any club will have to come to an agreement over a wage, with Newcastle United reportedly offering Adarabioyo a huge £100,000 a-week contract.

Fulham want the defender to sign a new deal at Craven Cottage but he is expected to leave, having been left out of the squad in recent weeks by Marco Silva, who admitted he was 'preparing for the future' at the club.