Newcastle targeting Barcelona's ex-Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen as Eddie Howe sees fourth Marc Guehi bid rejected by Crystal Palace

Barcelona's economic troubles just never seem to end and the Catalan side are set to let Ilkay Gundogan leave the club to free up their wage bill for the registration of new signing Dani Olmo. The departure of the former Germany international has been reported to be not enough for the club and the five-time Champions League winners are now ready to sell Christensen this summer.

Christensen is now being targeted by Newcastle United over a summer move as Eddie Howe looks to add a centre-back to his squad before the end of the transfer window as per The Daily Mail. The Magpies have had their eyes set on Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi but have seen four bids rejected. With the transfer window drawing to a close, Newcastle are now looking at other options including Christensen.

Christensen had been a crucial part of Xavi Hernandez's Barcelona setup since his move to Camp Nou in 2022 as the 28-year-old has deputised at left-back and also ended last season as the main pivot for the side. However, the same is not the case with Hansi Flick, who prefers teenagers Marc Bernal and Marc Casado as defensive midfielders and also prefers the likes of Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde over the Dane to fill in as first-team centre-backs.

If Newcastle are serious about signing Christensen this summer, they do not have much time to mull over their decision with the transfer window set to close in just over a week. Howe and his team will have to make the call to abandon their hunt for Guehi and then focus on Christensen.