Newcastle United are facing competition from Leicester City in their attempts to re-sign Andros Townsend from Crystal Palace this summer.
The former England winger, who enjoyed one of his most productive seasons last term after playing 39 games in all competitions for Palace, has already been the subject of an enquiry from Newcastle who have indicated a willingness to pay around £20m for the player. Yet such an offer not be enough to secure the 26-year-old, who signed a five-year contract at Selhurst Park when moving from Tyneside for £13m back in the summer of 2016.
While Newcastle consider their next move, Leicester have emerged as rival contenders for Townsend in anticipation of Riyad Mahrez departing for Manchester City before the start of the new domestic campaign. Theirs has been a long-standing interest in the forward, who has been capped 13 times by England, and may now pursue that option as part of an overhaul of Claude Puel’s squad.
Rafael Benítez had secured Townsend from Tottenham in the winter window at the start of 2016 and the winger excelled under the Spaniard in a team which ended up slipping into the Championship.
Palace have expressed an interest in securing Tammy Abraham from Chelsea on a season-long loan – they enjoyed a successful similar arrangement with Ruben Loftus-Cheek last year – though it is unclear whether the striker, who spent last season at Swansea, would consider another temporary switch away from Stamford Bridge.
Xhaka signs new deal with Arsenal
Grant Xhaka has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal. The 25-year-old midfielder, who is part of Switzerland’s World Cup squad, featured in all 38 Premier League matches last season.
New Arsenal head coach Unai Emery said on the club’s website: “I’m delighted that Granit has extended his contract with us. He’s an important member of the squad and is still young so will be able to develop even more.”
Meanwhile, Watford have announced the signing of defender Marc Navarro from Espanyol for an undisclosed fee.
