Newcastle target Lille's Aurelien Chedjou

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew continues digging for more hidden gems in the French transfer market with Lille’s defender Aurelien Chedjou being his next target.

The 27-year-old Chedjou has joined Lille in 2007 and has since established himself as firm first-choice player. He has made 197 Ligue 1 appearances scoring 15 goals. However the French side is unlikely to settle for anything less than £12 million. Alan Pardew considers the Cameroon international to be an ideal signing to expand his defensive option, amid the fears Fabricio Coloccini could leave the club rather sooner than later.

Several top European sides including Valencia are also closely monitoring situation.