Sources: Sheffield Wednesday and Portsmouth lead race to sign Newcastle star Bondswell in January
Sheffield Wednesday and Portsmouth have set their sights on signing Newcastle defender Matthew Bondswell in January, Football Insider can exclusively reveal.
The left-back, 19, is highly regarded at Newcastle and has been training with the first team this season.
A recruitment source has told Football Insider that Newcastle have given the green light to him going out on loan next month.
League One big guns Wednesday and Portsmouth are currently leading the race for his services.
Bondswell was brought through the youth ranks at Nottingham Forest before joining RB Leipzig in 2018.
In August 2020 the defender joined Eerste Divisie side FC Dordrecht on a season-long loan deal.
However, he only made seven appearances for the Dutch side before returning to Leipzig.
Bondswell joined Newcastle in March after failing to make an impact in Germany.
The defender has already featured for the senior Newcastle side in pre-season.
He came on as a second-half substitute as the Magpies beat Doncaster Rovers 3-2 on 23 July.
Speaking to the official Newcastle site, Bondswell revealed he was so excited to make a first-team appearance that he forgot to put his shinpads on.
He has so far made 11 appearances in the Premier League 2 this season, contributing two assists.
As it stands, Wednesday and Portsmouth are separated by one point and one place in the League One table.
The Owls sit seventh with both clubs set to chase a play-off spot in the second half of the season.
The two sides will face each other on 22 January.