Magpies eye Zebina swoop
Wednesday 18 January, 2006
Newcastle United have entered the race to sign out-of-favour Juventus defender Jonathan Zebina, according to reports in Italy.
Liverpool and Milan have also been linked with the Frenchman, but with the Reds having now completed the signing of Jan Kromkamp and Daniel Agger, and the Rossoneri having ruled themselves out of the running for the full-back, United would appear to be frontrunners.
Zebina is surplus to requirements at Juve after spending most of the season out with a succession of injuries and asking for a pay rise deemed to be excessive by the club.
Newcastle, meanwhile, are in need of defensive reinforcements after suffering a catalogue of injuries to their playing staff including Michael Owen, Kieron Dyer, former Inter midfielder Emre, Scott Parker, Shola Ameobi and defenders Steven Taylor, Craig Moore, Titus Bramble and Stephen Carr.
Magpies Coach Graeme Souness is in the market for both a defender and a striker, but is having to fight tooth and nail to receive the funding to help ease the injury crisis.
Zebina, who has become a regular for France under Raymond Domenech, is a versatile player who is just as comfortable in central defence as he is at right-back.
The former Roma defender is still only 27 and has won titles with both the Giallorossi and the Italian champions.