Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano insists Newcastle are ahead of Man Utd, Chelsea in race for Tosin 

Transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano has insisted that Newcastle United are still leading to race to sign highly sought-after central defender Tosin Adarabioyo amid suggestions that Manchester United are pushing to beat other Premier League clubs to the signature of the Fulham star. 

Chelsea are also monitoring the situation of the Super Eagles-eligible player who is in the final weeks of his contract with the Cottagers. 

Tosin has rejected the chance to extend his four-year association with Fulham despite the west Londoners offering him a new contract that would have made him one of the highest earners at Craven Cottage.

Top Premier League clubs are keeping close tabs on the Manchester-born Nigerian defender because he fits their strategy of incorporating more homegrown players into the squad.

The likes of Newcastle United, Chelsea and Manchester United are also motivated to sign Tosin due to the fact that he will soon become a free agent and his proven experience in the Premier League. 

"As previously reported, Tosin Adarabioyo has decided to leave Fulham as a free agent this summer, and so there’s unsurprisingly a lot of interest and a lot of media speculation about where he could go next," Romano told CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column.

"Still, my understanding remains that Newcastle remain frontrunners, they are in advanced talks to sign Adarabioyo this summer, and they’re also chasing another defender in Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly. 

"Newcastle want both players and are progressing well with these deals – they are optimistic about making it happen early in the summer.

"Chelsea and Man United are also informed on conditions of the Adarabioyo deal but at the moment, there is still no substantial change in the race to sign the centre-back; until he signs the contract, it’s still open, so let’s see what happens and if there are any surprises, but for the moment Newcastle are leading the race and their interest is the most advanced."

Tosin wants to sort out his club future before making a decision on whether to accept a call-up to play for the Super Eagles ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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