Magpies aim to Beck-up defence with German international capture

Newcastle United are hoping to lure German international defender Andreas Beck to Tyneside this summer in a bid to bolster defensive options for next season.

The Magpies, 9/2 with Coral for a top 10 finish, have stuttered towards the end of this current Premier League campaign, stumbling to 12th position in the league table after just one victory in their previous seven matches.

At the heart of their recent domestic woes is a fatal defensive crisis, with several key senior figures picking up knocks throughout the term and a lack strength in depth contributing to a domestic downfall.

Bundesliga battler Beck could provide the St James’ Park outfit with a strong outlet in the backline, with the Hoffenheim right back having featured in at least 31 games in the previous four German top-flight seasons, and making 26 appearances so far this term.

The 28-year-old could also be seen as a possible replacement for present Newcastle defender Daryl Janmaat, who has reportedly attracted interest from the likes of Liverpool after his impressively dominant displays this season.

Dutchman Janmaat has been switched to a centre back role in recent fixtures to aid the absence of suspended captain Fabricio Coloccini, and his superb showings have been important to the Magpies as they stumbled just 10 points adrift of the relegation zone.

With the Tyneside strugglers potentially set to lose Janmaat, and a severe lack of defensive options available, Beck is a talented full back who could boost a faltering Newcastle backline.

Incredibly, Newcastle have the joint-third worst defensive record in this season’s top-flight, conceding as many goals as rock-bottom side Leicester City, and only the other two of the current bottom three sides leaking more strikes.

Former Stuttgart defender Beck has earned nine caps for Germany, after making his international bow in 2009, and has a reported price-tag of around £1.5m, which the Magpies will need to splash out in order to acquire his services.