Newcastle ‘lead race for Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo’ after the 26-year-old refused new Craven Cottage deal… while Magpies are also ‘in talks over free transfer for Bournemouth star’

Newcastle United are frontrunners to land Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer at the end of the season, according to reports.

The 26-year-old is a former product of Manchester City’s academy but later moved to Craven Cottage after failing to make the cut at the reigning Premier League champions.

Loan moves at Blackburn and West Brom preceded his transfer to the capital where Adarabioyo has made a name for himself as a robust and commanding centre-back.

Fulham have made attempts to tie Adarabioyo down to a new long-term deal but efforts broke down and Newcastle are trying to lure him to St James’ Park, as reported by the Northern Echo.

They have received strong indications that the player would be willing to swap the capital for England’s north-east after offering a £100,000-per-week deal to the Manchester-born defender. 

Adarabioyo has refused to extend his stay at Craven Cottage after being offered a new deal

The 26-year-old is expected to complete a free transfer to St James’ Park in the summer

Meanwhile, Adarabioyo has found himself in hot water with Fulham chiefs over his refusal to extend his stay.

His standoff with the club has seen him left out of Fulham’s matchday squad for their recent clash against Crystal Palace despite previously starting the club’s last nine Premier League fixtures.

Adarabioyo is also expected to be left out of the matchday squad for the remaining three games of the season – including against his former club Man City. 

The Cottagers would likely make a huge profit on the £1.5m they initially paid to Man City if they could have negotiated a contract extension with the defender but are now set to lose out on recovering any fee.

Fulham boss Marco Silva hoped a previous offer tabled with Adarabioyo that would have made him one of the club’s best-paid players would have been enough to convince him to stay, but the deal was rejected.

Fulham boss Marco Silva (left) wants Adarabioyo to stay at the club while Eddie Howe (right) is hoping to bring the defender to the north-east

Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly is also in talks over making a free transfer to Newcastle

Manchester United, Tottenham and West Ham were also in discussions with the player’s representatives, but Newcastle appear closest to completing a deal.

Newcastle are targeting free and low-cost transfers during the summer as they attempt to wrangle through Financial Fair Play [FFP] regulations and are also interested in Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly.

The Cherries defender is another priority option for Magpies boss Eddie Howe who is keen to reinforce his backline after long-term injuries to both Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles.

Bournemouth have been unable to reach an agreement with Kelly – who has made 23 appearances in all competitions this season – and talks are ongoing over making the switch to join Newcastle.