Valencia at risk of third defender sale as Newcastle United come calling

Valencia have been busy in the transfer market this summer, particularly in regards to players leaving the club. Yarek Gasiorowski has already left, Cristhian Mosquera will soon depart too, and a now third central defender could be on their way out.

Recently, PSV Eindhoven confirmed the signing of Yarek, whose sale has generated €9.5m for Valencia. And a further €15m plus add-ons will soon arrive from Arsenal, who are closing in on the signing of Cristhian Mosquera.

Those departures will leave Valencia head coach Carlos Corberan with Mouctar Diakhaby and Cesar Tarrega as his only guaranteed centre-back options for the 2025-26 season, but the latter could now be on his way out too.

As reported by Sky Sports’ Keith Downie, Newcastle United have added Tarrega to a three-man shortlist of central defensive targets, alongside Juventus’ Nicolo Savona and Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalvini.

Tarrega, who is only 23 years of age, has been expected to step up following the departures of Yarek and Mosquera – particularly the latter. He was a regular starter for Valencia last season with 38 appearances made across all competitions, and he has the chance to develop into a leader for Los Che.

It won’t be easy for Newcastle to sign Tarrega

A move to Newcastle would end this, although it would be something of a surprise if he were to be allowed to leave. Despite their well-documented financial woes, Valencia would only have Diakhaby as a recognised centre-back if Tarrega leaves, meaning that Los Che will likely demand a significant fee to allow a sale to take place.

Valencia also have Eray Comert and Cenk Ozkacar as central defenders in Corberan’s squad, although it has been expected that they will not be counted on for the future, as was the case last season. However, they could end up staying if Tarrega were to depart before the end of the summer.