Newcastle have a clear path to sign Everton full-back Lucas Digne after the Toffees agreed a £17million deal for Ukrainian Vitaliy Mykolenko.
The Mirror reports that Newcastle and Leicester are in the hunt for French international Digne, who has been dropped by Rafa Benitez in recent weeks amid a rumoured bust-up.
The Magpies will be desperate to splash some of their new-found wealth in January and strengthening a leaky backline will be a priority, with Newcastle conceding a whopping 37 goals already this season - the most in the division.
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Digne - who has previously played for PSG and La Liga giants Barcelona - has impressed on Merseyside and was named Everton’s player of the year in his first season at the club.
However, he has fallen out of favour under new boss Benitez, with the Spaniard questioning his commitment ahead of Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea - a game Digne was ruled out of due to illness.
Benitez said: “I have to be sure the players that will be there tomorrow want to be there, and they want to fight for the club and that’s it.”
The Mirror’s report also claims the Spaniard told Everton supremo Farhad Moshiri that buying a left-back should be a priority in January, paving the way for Mykolenko’s arrival.
The Dynamo Kyiv youngster has already played 21 times for his national side and has been billed as one of the top emerging prospects in Europe.
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