Despite Newcastle United previously appearing to have the upper hand in their quest to sign Reims goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen to St James’ Park, the race has been blown completely open.
According to CANAL+, the 20-year-old recently visited Chelsea’s training facilities, while Real Madrid are also closely monitoring his situation.
Newcastle are seeking to restructure their goalkeeping department as Nick Pope recently turned 34, and loanee Aaron Ramsdale is set to return to Southampton.
However, Chelsea’s interest has now complicated things. They invited Jaouen to tour their Cobham training complex. Chelsea’s extensive scouting presence in France makes Jaouen a natural target.
Madrid are actively seeking a long-term successor to Thibaut Courtois, and Jaouen fits their recruitment profile.
While they have not yet hosted the player, their concrete interest ensures representatives will weigh up all the options before making a decision.
This increased competition is good news for Reims. Having failed to secure promotion, the French club are ready to capitalise on his rising valuation.
The ‘really talented‘ Jaouen was a standout performer last season, keeping 15 clean sheets in 34 senior appearances and demonstrating the modern, proactive passing profile top teams crave.
