Newcastle identify two alternatives to Marc Guehi as Crystal Palace refuse to budge on £70m price tag

Newcastle are reportedly pushing ahead with their contingency plans at centre-back after being repeatedly turned down by Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi.

He Eagles have rejected several offers from the Magpies for England international Guehi and are hoping for £70m.

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Eddie Howe's side recently received a club-record bid worth £60m plus £5m in add-ons. felled by Palace.

And with GehiFellow Chelsea centre-back Joachim Andersen is on the verge of a move to Fulham, which could make the south London club even less likely to part ways with the 24-year-old.

With time running out in the summer window, Newcastle They have now intensified their work on alternative options.

According The athleticThe Toon have opened talks with Bayer Leverkusen over Edmond Tapsoba and are interested in Chelsea defender Axel Disasi.

Tapsoba was close to a move to the Premier League last season when he emerged as one of Tottenham's top defensive targets.

However, Ange Postecoglou opted for Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven.

Tapsoba stayed with Leverkusen and played a pivotal role, making 46 appearances in all competitions as Xabi Alonso's side went unbeaten to win the Bundesliga and lift the DFB-Pokal.

And the 25-year-old also took home the prize German Super Cup last weekend, after scoring the winning penalty in the shoot-out.

Newcastle could face competition for Tapsoba, however, as the report claims a number of top clubs are keeping a close eye on the Burkina Faso international.

Meanwhile, Disasi, who joined Chelsea from Monaco last season for £38million on a six-year deal, has also emerged as a possible option.

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Under Mauricio Pochettino, the French international made 44 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea.

However, he missed the club's entire pre-season under new manager Enzo Maresca after undergoing hernia surgery.

Newcastle's need for a new centre-back has reached a new level following their 1-0 win over Southampton last Saturday after Fabian Schar was sent off for header Ben Brereton Diaz.

Schar's red card also earned him a three-match ban, leaving manager Eddie Howe short of options in central defence with Sven Botman still sidelined with a knee injury and not due to return until later this year.

Summer signing Lloyd Kelly, who joined from Bournemouth on a free transfer, is likely to replace Schar to slot in alongside Dan Burn at the heart of defence.

But Newcastle are believed to be hoping to bring in someone with European pedigree.

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