Summary Newcastle United is interested in signing Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen, but his £40m price tag may be too high for the club. Newcastle's priority for reinforcement is not necessarily at center-back, but the links to Andersen have some substance. Andersen is a 27-year-old player with strong defensive abilities and would compete for a position in the Newcastle side if he joins, but Palace may be hesitant to lower their asking price.

Newcastle United reportedly hold an interest in a £40m-rated Premier League defender, but his asking price may prove a stumbling block in a potential deal, according to Ben Jacobs.

Who are Newcastle signing?

It has been a busy window for the Magpies so far as Eddie Howe looks to consolidate his side's place as one of the Premier League's elite clubs, while also preparing for a return to the Champions League next season.

Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes Tino Livramento and Yankuba Minteh have all arrived at St. James' Park, although the latter has been sent straight out on loan, as Howe readies his squad for a hectic campaign.

The Magpies finished fourth in the Premier League last season and greatly exceeded expectations, but if one criticism could be levelled at them, it could perhaps be a lack of squad depth. The same core group of 15 or so players were readily used, but Newcastle will need to rotate more next season due to their European commitments.

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An area which is yet to be reinforced on Tyneside is centre-back, with there being an expectation that a new central defender may arrive this summer.

Many names have been linked, but it now appears Crystal Palace's Joachim Andersen has emerged as a potential target for Howe, according to journalist Jacobs. Having been touted at upwards of £40m though, Newcastle may be forced to look elsewhere for better value.

Speaking on Loaded Mag NUFC's YouTube channel, Jacobs stated: "Newcastle are quite lucky, I think, in the centre-back position, they've got enough there, especially when you consider they only play a back four.

"So, it's not necessarily my understanding that centre-back is the top of Newcastle's priorities to be perfectly honest with you, even though we have seen some reports to the contrary. But those names that you've mentioned have got a little bit of substance to them.

"I think with Joachim Andersen the price is too high at this stage, and you can understand why again for the point that I've already made a few minutes ago that a lot of centre-backs have been on the move, and many of them have been £30m, £35m, £40m. So, if you take that then you immediately know that every other selling club is going to be using that as a yardstick."

He added: "I know that the Andersen links have some genuine substance to them, but simply not at that price."

Andersen, who was labelled by Micah Richards as "brilliant" (via Football.London) last season, has been a regular starter for Crystal Palace since arriving at the club in 2021, having previously enjoyed a loan spell with Fulham in the Premier League.

At 27-years-old, Andersen is very much a player for the present, and would compete with the likes of Sven Botman, Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles for a position in the Newcastle side should he join.

However, Palace may be unwilling to lower that asking price given how inflated the current market is, meaning a transfer may be difficult to make happen.

How much does Andersen earn?

Currently earning £75,000-a-week at Selhurst Park, Newcastle would likely be able to offer the 22-cap Denmark international a pay rise, perhaps helping sell a move to Andersen this summer.

Andersen featured 33 times for the Eagles last season, keeping eight clean sheets and scoring once. Having arrived at Palace for approximately £15m, they set to make a handsome profit should he depart this transfer window.

One of Andersen's key strengths is his ability, especially over longer distances. He ranked in the top one percent of Premier League centre-backs for completed long passes last season, also sitting in the top 12% for progressive passing distance.

He also sat in the top four percent for clearances, the top ten percent for aerial duel win percentage and did not make a single error that directly led to an opposition shot last term.