Newcastle United are reportedly considering a raid on Chelsea as they eye up Ethan Ampadu and Malang Sarr.
This is according to the Express, who claim the Magpies have spotted something shiny lurking in the Stamford Bridge foliage.
Although, Ampadu and Sarr haven’t shown too much sparkle recently. Not in a Chelsea shirt, anyway.
Both were out on loan last year and neither managed to set the world alight in their new settings.
Ampadu’s spell with Sheffield United ended in relegation, but he was added to Wales’ European Championship camp.
Even that finished on a downer after the 20-year-old received a red card against Italy in the group stage.
Sarr spent a term playing for Porto, where he only made 19 appearances and was even demoted to the B-team at one stage.
Granted, the centre-back only lost three times whilst featuring for the Portuguese giants.
Yet, most of his contributions came from the bench.
It seems highly unlikely the pair will be part of Thomas Tuchel’s plans this campaign, as he continues to trim down his bloated squad.
The German boss has never picked either Ampadu or Sarr in a competitve match before.
But there is certainly talent buried beneath the surface of the defenders.
Combined, they have played 199 times in senior football. Sarr makes up the bulk of this, having featured on 119 occasions for his former club Nice.
Age is also on their side, even if the trust from Tuchel is not.
A move away from Chelsea seems the most suitable option this summer.
Newcastle are not ones to spend big in the transfer market, so a loan deal would suit them nicely.
Unfortunately, due to the Premier League rulings, teams cannot register more than two players on loan at one time while borrowing two players from the same side is not allowed.
Steve Bruce must therefore settle upon one of Sarr or Ampadu, rather than swooping them up simultaneously.