Newcastle could sign an even bigger talent than Dedic

Newcastle United are closing in on a signing to finally replace veteran right-back Kieran Trippier, who left the club at the end of last season to join Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Magpies are in talks to sign Amar Dedic from Benfica in a deal that could be as high as £30m, as they look to reach an agreement with the Portuguese giants.

A contract has already been agreed in principle between the club and the player, with the Bosnian star ready to put pen to paper on a deal until 2031.

The full-back played for Mathias Jaissle during their time together at RB Salzburg in Austria, and they now look set for a reunion at St. James’ Park this summer.

The concern with Amar Dedic at Newcastle United

One possible concern with this signing is that the 23-year-old full-back is not the strongest in the air and could be exposed with the physicality and intensity that Premier League teams play with.

With the rise of set-pieces, particularly in England, having a defender who is not particularly effective in aerial situations could be a disadvantage for the Magpies.

He has won fewer than 20 aerial duels in each of the last three seasons in all competitions for Benfica, Marseille, and Salzburg, and struggled aerially in the Champions League last term.

Dedic ranked poorly among fellow right-backs in the competition when it came to winning aerial duels and keeping a tight defence, which is a possible concern for Newcastle when bringing him in.

REUTERS/Pablo Morano

Whilst the Bosnian talent can provide creativity, assisting four goals last season, it remains to be seen if he has the aerial prowess to consistently deal with the threats that Premier League teams pose.

Newcastle planning bid to sign a better right-back than Amar Dedic

That concern may be why the club are also looking at another potential addition to their ranks in that position to bolster Jaissle’s options at the back.

According to outlet Turkish-Football, Newcastle United are interested in a deal to sign Galatasaray right-back Wilfried Singo before the end of the window.

The report claims that the Magpies are eyeing a deal for the Ivorian defender and are preparing an official offer to test the Turkish side’s resolve.

However, it does not reveal how much it will take to convince the Super Lig side to part ways with the 25-year-old, who was signed from Monaco for a fee of around £26m last summer.

Signing Singo after doing a deal for Dedic still makes sense for the Magpies because he is capable of covering at both centre-back and right-back, providing the manager with depth in multiple positions.

His experience playing as a central defender also means that the Galatasaray star is an excellent right-back when it comes to dealing with aerial duels, because he is used to constantly contesting them as a centre-back.

Singo ranked highly among his positional peers in the Champions League last season when it came to winning duels, which shows that he was far more physically impressive in that competition than Dedic was for Benfica.

The £26m-rated star also won 67% of his ground duels and 60% of his aerial duels, winning 1.5 per match, in the Turkish Super Lig for his club in the 2025/26 campaign, which shows that he was dominant defensively in domestic and European outings.

These statistics show that Singo would be far more effective at dealing with open play crosses, long balls, and set-piece situations defensively than Dedic for Newcastle, based on their respective form last season.

The Magpies know that they need to improve defensively, after losing 3-1 to Everton in their most recently friendly, and Singo looks far more likely to help them in that than the Bosnian.

That does not mean that the Benfica full-back will be a bad signing for the Magpies, as he offers something different with his creative threat, but Singo would be a player who could slot straight into the team as an upgrade defensively.

Newcastle could have good depth to their squad if they sign both players, with the Galatasaray star coming in as a starter and Dedic providing creativity off the bench.