Newcastle closing in on Toulouse defender

Newcastle United manager Joe Kinnear has revealed the club are close to signing French defender Albin Ebondo.

The Magpies have held talks with Toulouse over the weekend and are hopeful to agree on a deal for Ebondo within the coming days.

“A team from Newcastle has been over there talking to the club and the player and we’re confident he’ll be here on Monday,” Kinnear told The Journal.

“We will work right until the final minute of the final day of the window to bring in the players we want.

“We are working around the clock to get the players we need but it’s not an easy time of the year to do business and it’s been hard work.”

“I do feel as though we are getting somewhere and if I can bring in the two players we’re close to agreeing deals for then I’ll be feeling a lot happier about the state of the squad,” added Kinnear.

“I identified Albin Ebondo when I went to see Toulouse play a few weeks ago and he will be an excellent player for us, I’m confident about that.

“Hopefully he’ll be here on Monday and in training with the rest of the squad straight after that.”

[Source: The Journal]