Newcastle eye highly-rated Morocco international as Premier League interest grows – Exclusive

Newcastle United are keeping close tabs on highly-rated Rennes central defender Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, TEAMtalk understands.

The Magpies have been monitoring the 20-year-old as they continue to assess defensive options heading into 2027, with Ait Boudlal emerging as a player of interest.

TEAMtalk understands Newcastle are keeping a close eye on the Rennes youngster and his development as they consider their options at centre-back.

The Morocco international has already attracted significant interest in recent months, with Fulham seeing a €30million bid for Ait Boudlal rejected earlier in the summer.

That offer underlines the level of interest in the highly-rated defender, with a number of clubs continuing to monitor his situation.

We understand Everton, Brentford and Hull are amongst a number of clubs watching Ait Boudlal, with his development at Rennes attracting attention from across the English game.

For Newcastle, their interest underlines the club’s focus on identifying young players who can develop into important first-team figures.

Ait Boudlal’s age makes him an intriguing option for clubs assessing the next generation of defensive talent, and TEAMtalk understands that whilst interest has emerged from England – there are also clubs in Germany, Spain and Italy tracking him.