Newcastle United might want to put in a call to their old pal Steve McClaren to put in a word with their latest transfer target.
Former Newcastle boss Steve McClaren recently beat out another former Toon boss in Steve Bruce to land the Jamaica national job.
Now, just a couple of months down the line the Magpies have one of the Reggae Boyz star players in their sights.
HITC claims that Aston Villa and Brighton are also said to be keen on 22-year-old Richard King but it’s West Ham who are said to be the current favourites to land the big defender.
West Ham lead the way for Richard King
West Ham’s Michail Antonio will have been able to give Julen Lopetegui the inside track on King who already has 19 international caps for Jamaica, as is also likely the case with Leon Bailey at Aston Villa.
King currently plays for Jamaican Premier League champions Cavalier FC but with several English Premier League clubs now keeping tabs on the young centre-back, it may only be a matter of time before he moves on.
Newcastle are still looking for someone to succeed Fabian Schar on the right side of the centre-back pairing after failing to land Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace in the summer.
The jump from the Jamaican Premier League to the EPL could be huge
The step up from the Jamaican Premier League to the English Premier League is likely to be a big one so you’d have to imagine that the English sides have done, or will have to do extensive scouting on King to get an idea of whether he has enough to handle such a step up.
However, with 19 international caps already, it’s clear that he’s had some experience at the top end of the game.
It’s unclear what a move for King would cost, but it’s a player worth keeping an eye on to see if Newcastle make moves to nudge West Ham out of the way.
