Eddie Howe has been asked about Newcastle United's transfer links with Germany star Antonio Rudiger. The Chelsea star is nearing the end of his current contract at Stamford Bridge and is available for free in the summer.
The classy former AS Roma centre-back would be a marquee addition to Howe's squad with work behind the scenes already under way. Howe wants to focus on securing Premier League survival before getting too heavily drawn into talk on new signings.
When asked about Rudiger, Howe said: "I don't think it is the time to start commenting about other teams or other players. I have not given recruitment or squad planning one ounce of my energy because we are focused on the games."
