Newcastle United are working on a deal for Benfica full-back Amar Dedic.The 23-year-old has a release clause of €50million (£42.7m, $57.7m), but there is an expectation that a fee of substantially less could be agreed upon. The Portuguese club are aiming for a figure in the region of €35m, according to Benfica sources, speaking anonymously as they weren’t authorised to do so publicly.Matthias Jaissle is hoping to tie up his first signing since officially taking charge earlier this month and the German is keen to be reunited with a right-back he previously coached at FC Liefering and Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.Dedic, 23, is able to play down both defensive flanks, which is attractive to Newcastle given their lack of full-back options, while the Bosnia and Herzegovina international already knows what Jaissle expects and is an ideal stylistic fit.With Tino Livramento still working his way back from a minor calf operation he underwent in June, Jaissle has no senior right-backs available. Even Lewis Miley, who covered there last season, is only just returning to fitness following a broken leg.
Should Newcastle agree a fee with Benfica and then finalise a move for Dedic, he is in line to come straight into the side for the Premier League opener against Liverpool on Sunday, August 23. Livramento is unlikely to be fit until the end of the month.Dedic would become Newcastle’s sixth summer signing and only their second over the age of 20. Goalkeepers Ewen Jaouen and Lukas Hornicek, midfielders Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur, plus winger Bazoumana Toure have already joined.A signing for a glaring needAnalysis from Newcastle United correspondent Chris WaughThere is genuine excitement within Newcastle about Jaissle and what he can achieve on Tyneside in the medium-to-long run, but in the immediate term he desperately requires reinforcements.Jaissle inherited a squad which Eddie Howe, his predecessor, felt was short of experience and quality in key areas. Nowhere is that more glaring than at full-back, with Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth and Matt Targett having departed, yet wide defensive arrivals have yet to take place.Dedic’s lack of exposure to Europe’s top-five leagues, despite a short loan spell at Marseille last year, is a concern, but his attacking mindset and his understanding of Jaissle’s demands mean he has a decent chance of settling in quickly.The Austrian-born defender had a difficult evening at St James’ Park as a visiting player for Benfica in the Champions League last season, when Anthony Gordon repeatedly got in behind during a 3-0 Newcastle victory, but the hope is that he will develop further back under Jaissle’s tutelage.Concluding the signing of Dedic would be a positive step for Newcastle, though further additions, especially in midfield, are also required.
