Newcastle United Tracking Rennes Center Back Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal

Newcastle are keeping close watch on the 20-year-old Morocco international, with Everton, Brentford and Hull also monitoring the Rennes defender, per TeamTalk.

Newcastle United are monitoring Rennes center back Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, according to a TeamTalk report. The Premier League club has placed the 20-year-old on its radar as interest from English teams in the Ligue 1 defender continues to grow. Ait Boudlal is already a Morocco international.

The report describes Newcastle's monitoring as active and ongoing rather than a passing glance. The club is said to be keeping a close watch on his progress in France, a level of engagement presented as evidence of a serious scouting process rather than routine background work.

The interest is tied to squad planning. TeamTalk reports that Newcastle are weighing defensive options as they plan toward 2027, a timeline that frames the search as part of a balancing act between staying competitive now and building for the years ahead. A 20-year-old who has already reached international level with Morocco fits that longer horizon.

The defender's standing in the market is already well established. Rennes rejected a €30 million offer from Fulham earlier in the summer, per the report. That figure signals both how highly the French club rate the player and the level of interest building around him, and it offers a benchmark for what any future buyer would likely need to spend.

Newcastle also face competition from within England. Everton, Brentford and Hull are named among a number of clubs watching the defender, according to TeamTalk. The report credits those clubs only with monitoring, not with bidding.

The tracking stretches beyond the Premier League as well. Clubs in Germany, Spain and Italy are also following his situation, per the report, meaning any English suitor could end up competing with teams from Europe's other major leagues.

The report casts Ait Boudlal as part of a coming generation of defensive talent. His age, his standing with Morocco and a valuation already tested at €30 million combine to make him a highly rated young center back. Rennes have already shown a willingness to turn away major money for him.

For Newcastle, the pursuit would line up with a recruitment approach the report says has long favored young players who can develop into significant first-team contributors. The combination of multiple suitors and a seller already prepared to reject sizeable offers means any move, in the report's assessment, would require conviction and timing from the buying club.

At this stage, no bid from Newcastle has been reported. The club's involvement, as laid out by TeamTalk, consists of sustained scouting within a crowded field, with Fulham's rejected offer the only concrete proposal on record. Whether Newcastle turn their interest into a formal approach remains an open question. The report frames the club's interest as serious and consistent with a wider strategy.