Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media

Evan Lloyd

Sat 4 April 2026 14:22, UK

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Karim Coulibaly has been linked with a move to Newcastle United this summer amid interest from several clubs in Europe.

The Germany youth international is a regular in the Bundesliga for Werder Bremen, making his debut aged just 18 at the start of the season.

Newcastle have been no strangers to the signings of youth talents in recent years, as they attempt to bolster their ranks of younger players.

The likes of Antonito Cordero and Yankuba Minteh have joined in recent seasons, with the latter impressing on loan before joining Brighton in a deal worth around £30million in 2024.

With Newcastle transfer chiefs keeping a close eye on Coulibaly, this is everything you need to know about the 18-year-old.

Who is Karim Coulibaly?

Former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness exclusively told Football Insider this week that Newcastle are facing cutbacks amid financial pressures.

The financial regulations have continued to be an issue for PIF since their 2021 takeover of the Magpies, and this summer is expected to be no different.

With that in mind, Newcastle could be set to target young talents such as Coulibaly in their attempt to develop their own big-money players.

The centre-back was born in Oldenburg, Germany, and began his youth career with Bramfelder, a team based in Hamburg.

Moves to Barmbek and Hamburg would follow, before the defender joined Werder Bremen’s academy in 2024.

After impressing last season, Coulibaly was handed his first opportunity in the Bundesliga this season and has grabbed it with both hands.

The 18-year-old is also eligible for the Ivory Coast, but has spent his entire youth career with Germany, making his debut for the Under-21s last month.

Fabrizio Romano reported on Friday that Newcastle are among six clubs in Europe tracking the Werder Bremen man ahead of the summer, with the talent prepared for a new chapter.

What sort of player is Coulibaly?

The stats say it all about Coulibaly. The defender’s tall frame is ideal for winning duels (67 of them this season) in the air and on the ground, and he makes plenty of defensive contributions.

On the ball, the 18-year-old is calm and quality, completing 86.4 per cent of his passes and 71.4 per cent of his dribbles.

At such a young age and with so little experience in a position in which it is so vital, Coulibaly, of course, is raw.

The defender has been dribbled past 14 times and was sent off for two bookable offences in December.

If Newcastle are looking for future upside in defence, however, they need look no further than Coulibaly this summer.