NEWCASTLE UNITED continue to monitor Marc Guehi’s situation at Crystal Palace, with the Eagles having been unable to tie the centre-half down to a new deal.

Newcastle were involved in a long-running saga over Guehi in the summer, with Palace chairman Steve Parish rejecting a succession of offers for the centre-half.

The Magpies’ final bid was worth around £65m, but the Palace hierarchy opted to hold on to Guehi despite the defender having entered the final two years of his current contract.

Ideally, Palace would like to agree terms with the England international over a new long-term deal that would answer any questions over his future at Selhurst Park.

However, despite the club’s desire to achieve a contract resolution, there has been no movement since the start of the season.

As a result, Newcastle could well be tempted to return to the negotiating table when the transfer window reopens in January in the hope of securing a cut-price deal.

Whatever happens, the Magpies will not be repeating the bid they tabled in the summer as, if they make a renewed offer, they will argue that Guehi’s value has decreased significantly given that the end of his contract has become much closer. They will also point to the defender’s somewhat erratic form in the first few months of the season as further justification for reducing his valuation.

Newcastle’s need for a new centre-half is also likely to be less pressing come the turn of the year, with Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles both due to return from long-term injuries in the next couple of months.

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However, with Lascelles, Dan Burn and Emil Krafth all having entered the final year of their own respective contracts on Tyneside, Newcastle’s recruitment team accept there is a need to address the club’s central-defensive situation in the next two windows. As a result, another move for Guehi is one of the options currently being considered.

The 24-year-old was reportedly willing to move to Tyneside in the summer, and is unlikely to have been impressed with Palace’s bitterly-disappointing start to the current campaign, which has left them struggling in the relegation zone after failing to win any of their opening seven league games.

Guehi’s personal form has been poor, and while he retained his place in the England squad, starting yesterday’s 3-1 win in Finland alongside John Stones, he admits he has struggled to hit top form after a disrupted summer that featured a spell at the Euros as well as the public bickering over his future.

“I’d say (it was) quite tough not having a pre-season, not having much of a break and going straight back into it,” said Guehi. “I kind of handled it as best as I could. The Euros was such an amazing experience but just not quite getting there.

“Since then, I’ve just tried to get my head down (amid the transfer rumours), tried to get to work. It’s been a tough start for us at Palace, but I think everyone’s pulling in the right direction to try and get ourselves back to where we want to be.”

Newcastle’s recruitment team will be juggling a number of different priorities when the transfer window reopens in January, with right-sided attack and centre-forward having been identified as priority positions.

The Magpies attempted to sign a new right-sided forward in the summer, with a deadline-day bid for Anthony Elanga being rejected at Nottingham Forest, and remain keen recruit in that area. Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo has been touted as a potential target, with Newcastle also understood to have scouted players based in France and Germany in the last couple of months.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jonathan David are options in attack, with both players due to become free agents at the end of the season. Calvert-Lewin has reportedly rejected the offer of a new deal at Everton, which could force the Goodison Park club to cash in and sell the 27-year-old at the turn of the year. Over the weekend, Serie A club Juventus were linked with a possible move.

David is expected to leave Lille when the window reopens, with a number of European clubs having been credited with an interest in the Canada international.