Newcastle 'could miss out' on yet another big-money deal as Chelsea swoop

Newcastle United could be set to miss out on another of their transfer targets after Chelsea joined the race for Giorgio Scalvini.

The 22-year-old is highly regarded at St James' Park as they aim to bolster their defensive options, with a lack of depth at centre-back becoming a concern behind the scenes.

Atalanta are expected to be open to selling amid financial concerns this summer, but with Premier League rivals now on high alert, Newcastle are in danger of missing out again.

Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Newcastle have to be "clever" with their targets to avoid bidding wars with better-placed rivals.

This comes after the Magpies missed out on deals to sign leading targets Victor Munoz and Johan Manzambi to Liverpool and Aston Villa respectively.

Scalvini could become the latest Newcastle target to join a Premier League rival, with reports claiming Chelsea are now looking to take advantage of the centre-back's situation.

Could Newcastle make a move for Giorgio Scalvini?

Football Insider revealed on 3 August that Newcastle and Chelsea are currently joint front-runners in the race to sign Scalvini, and have already made contact his representatives.

As things stand, there is still an open race for the centre-back's signature, with a £40million offer likely to be enough to convince Atalanta to sell.

However, given the interest from their Premier League rivals, there are growing concerns that Newcastle could be set to miss out on yet another transfer target.

"Newcastle have had another very difficult transfer window," Brown told Football Insider.

"The problem is, it can be difficult to get out of a situation where you can't land your top targets, because you want to be ambitious in the market but that means challenging the top clubs.

"Can Newcastle realistically challenge clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea when they're going head to head for a player? I don't think so.

"They have to be smart with their deals, look at other players in the market who might not be attracting interest from these top-tier clubs but have the quality that they need.

"Obviously that's easier said than done, but otherwise they will keep missing out on these players, like Scalvini for example who they are now being linked with.

"He's got a very good reputation, but there are a lot of clubs interested in him, so Newcastle are at risk again of missing out on yet another big target to one of their rivals.

"There's a fine line between being ambitious in the market and targeting players who you will struggle to convince, and it seems like Newcastle aren't quite treading that line."

Why are Newcastle fearful of missing out on Scalvini?

Newcastle missing out on their key transfer targets is unfortunately nothing new, with concerns growing behind the scenes after the last couple of transfer windows.

Last summer, the Magpies missed out on leading targets including the likes of Hugo Ekitike, Benjamin Sesko and Marc Guehi, all of whom ended up moving elsewhere.

Brown told Football Insider last month that this trend is becoming a "big problem" for Newcastle, and looks likely to continue while they are at risk of weakening their squad.

As previously mentioned, both Munoz and Manzambi have been poached away from Newcastle, while they are also selling key players without landing their replacements.

Following the sales of Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and likely Bruno Guimaraes, all three players will need to be replaced, but their transfer woes are making it difficult.