Norwich City are rivalling Newcastle for the loan signing of Schalke centre-back Ozan Kabak, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Liverpool.

That's according to the Mail on Sunday, with a report claiming Premier League rivals Norwich and Newcastle are both interested in taking the Turkey international on loan.

The summer transfer window closes at 11pm on Tuesday and it's believed the Canaries are keen to add another central defensive option, having conceded 10 goals in their opening three games since promotion.

Senior centre-backs Grant Hanley, Ben Gibson and Christoph Zimmermann have all had injury issues in recent years, with impressive youngster Andrew Omobamidele also in the mix and hoping to win his first Republic of Ireland cap during the international break.

City saw their momentum severely hampered by a defensive injury crisis following promotion two years ago and it's thought that signing a centre-back and another central midfielder remain the priorities ahead of the transfer deadline.

Kabak, 21, emerged from the academy of Galatasaray and joined Bundesliga side Stuttgart in January 2019 after making 17 senior appearances as a teenager, reportedly in a deal worth close to £10million.

Three goals in 17 games saw Schalke swoop just six months later, after Stuttgart slipped to relegation via the play-offs, reportedly activating a release clause worth around £13m.

Kabak was then a regular starter for the Gelsenkirchen side, with three goals in 28 matches during the pandemic-disrupted campaign of 2019-20.

That season ended in 12th place and after 14 Bundesliga appearances of last season, the youngster got a surprise move to the Premier League with Liverpool, who were in the midst of a defensive injury crisis.

After an initially shaky start, Kabak helped keep six clean sheets in his 13 appearances, all of which were starts in the Champions League or Premier League.

However, he missed the final five games with an unexplained muscle strain and subsequently wasn't signed permanently, with Sky Sports reporting that a permanent fee of £18m had been negotiated, potentially rising to £26.5m in add-on fees.

Instead, the Reds signed Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig for £36m, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all returning from their injuries.

Kabak returned with Schalke having suffered relegation for the first time in over 30 years, after being kept on the bench for all three of Turkey's group games at the Euros.

He is yet to be involved for Schalke this season, with three years remaining on his contract. Just over a month ago, the Guardian reported that Crystal Palace were in talks after Schalke dropped their asking price to between £10m and £12m.

That report also suggested there was interest from clubs in Spain and Germany but that Leicester were not chasing Kabak's signature.

Recent reports in Italy have suggested that Serie A side Torino are also interested.

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