Newcastle United are looking to improve their defensive unit with the signing of Edmond Tapsoba from Bayer Leverkusen.

According to Caught Offside, Newcastle are hoping to sign the Bundesliga-winning defender, but his price tag could be a major stumbling block.

The 26-year-old defender is a reliable performer at the highest level, but he has a €100 million release clause in his contract. If the German club refuse to sell him below that clause, it seems highly unlikely that Newcastle will be able to get the deal across the line.

Christian Falk revealed: “Newcastle have not yet submitted an offer for Edmond Tapsoba. Newcastle have shown interest in the defender, as Juventus have for Granit Xhaka.

“However, the problem Newcastle (and any interested club) are facing is that the centre-back has a release clause of €100m [£86.2m]. This is a lot of money, and I don’t think Newcastle are prepared to pay this.

“More to the point, if Leverkusen are committed to the approach they’re discussing internally, they won’t sell him cheaper. So, I think he will stay at the BayArena. But let’s see what Newcastle are prepared to put on the table.”

Even though Tapsoba is a talented player in the peak of his powers, the Premier League outfit will be reluctant to pay €100 million for him. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops.

Tapsoba has proven his ability in Germany and possesses the qualities needed to succeed in the Premier League. The opportunity to join Newcastle could be quite exciting for him. It would be a new challenge and a logical next step in his career. He possesses the physicality and technical attributes to establish himself as a key player for Newcastle, if the deal is completed.

Newcastle need a quality defender

Newcastle managed to secure Champions League qualification and won a domestic trophy last season. They need to improve their squad to compete both in the league and in Europe next season. Additionally, they looked vulnerable defensively last season, and need reinforcements at the back. Signing a quality central defender to partner Sven Botman would be a wise move.

Tapsoba certainly fits the profile and could strengthen them significantly. It remains to be seen how the situation unfolds. They are among the wealthiest clubs in the world, but they will not want to pay over the odds. It remains to be seen whether they can convince the German club to accept a more reasonable deal.