Newcastle United could ‘hijack’ Crystal Palace move for Chelsea defender amid contract uncertainty

Lewis Hall has emerged as a potential target for Newcastle United as they look to strengthen their defensive options. The young Chelsea defender has made just nine Premier League appearances during his short time in the Blues’ first-team, but he has impressed in those outings.

However, the 18-year-old faces stiff competition for a starting spot in Mauricio Pochettino’s first-team plans with Marc Cucurella, Ben Chilwell and Ian Maatsen all vying for just one starting spot. Hall, therefore, may be allowed to leave the club this summer and appeared to be doing just that with Crystal Palace closing in on a loan move for the teenager.

However, confirmation of his switch to Selhurst Park has yet to be announced and Newcastle United are still reportedly interested in bringing Hall to Tyneside this summer. Despite reports that the defender had signed a new six-year deal with the Blues, Hall is yet to put pen to paper - opening the door for the Magpies to potentially hijack the deal.

A move for the defender would tick all of the boxes in regards to Newcastle’s recruitment strategy this summer, but any deal would come with a significant hurdle to overcome.

Their transfer business this summer has been completed with Financial Fair Play constraints looming large and with big money having already been paid out to secure the services of Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes and Tino Livramento, Newcastle will have to be creative with any further arrivals.

One way they could navigate these FFP concerns and sign Hall would be to initially sign him on a season-long loan deal with an obligation to buy next summer. Whilst this would work in theory, it’s likely that Chelsea would be reluctant to engage in a deal that would strengthen one of their rivals without immediate compensation.

Cucurrella, who is seemingly ahead of Hall in the pecking-order at Stamford Bridge, has also been linked with a move to Newcastle United this summer. Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney, who was left out of Mikel Arteta’s matchday squad for their win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday, is also viewed as a potential signing for the Magpies this summer.