Newcastle United are in contention to sign AS Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara following a rejected bid from Crystal Palace.
Amid the departures of Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle have already made two additions to their midfield this summer, securing the signatures of Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur.
However, following the arrival of Matthias Jaissle, the Magpies have set their sights on another central midfielder, and Camara has registered five goals and 11 assists in 53 Ligue 1 matches across his opening two campaigns at AS Monaco.
The 22-year-old is also strong at winning back possession, as pointed out by Como scout Ben Mattinson, who said: “Lamine Camara is a phenomenal ground dueller. His upper body strength enables him to ride challenges well.
“Camara anticipates contact exceptionally, using his body and arms to shield the ball whilst under pressure from players.”
At the World Cup, the Senegal midfielder’s ball-winning abilities were on display, averaging 1.1 tackles and 4.7 recoveries per 90, before his side were eliminated by Belgium at the round of 32 stage.
Off the back of the midfielder’s performances for club and country, he has started to attract interest, and Crystal Palace have had a €50m (£43m) bid knocked back.
Newcastle in the race to sign AS Monaco star Lamine Camara
According to a report from TEAMtalk, Newcastle are firm contenders to sign Camara, following Palace’s failed bid, with the former Metz man ready to seek a move elsewhere this summer.
Manchester United and Chelsea are also weighing up moves for the Senegal international, alongside Liverpool, with his ‘all-action’ style of play particularly appealing.
Lamine Camara’s Ligue 1 stats in 2025-25
- 24 appearances
- 1,851 minutes played
- 3 goals
- 4 assists
- 85.9% pass-completion rate
- 8 big chances created
- 56% duels won
Newcastle’s other midfield targets
Newcastle were rocked by the departure of Guimaraes, with the Brazilain signing for Arsenal earlier this month, which exacerbates the need to sign a new midfielder, and several targets have been identified.
Marseille captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was also of interest, but the Danish midfielder turned down Newcastle’s offer, despite the Magpies being willing to meet the French side’s asking price.
However, Camara could be a far better long-term option for Jaissle regardless, considering he is just 22-years-old, whereas Hojbjerg recently turned 31.