NEWCASTLE UNITED are set to add Remi Savage to their development squad, after the teenage defender turned down the offer of a new deal at Liverpool.

Having signed his first professional contract with the Reds last summer, Savage was offered a one-year extension at the end of last season.

However, the 19-year-old centre-half has opted not to sign new terms, and is instead expected to move to the North-East and join Newcastle.

Savage is set to sign a three-year deal with the Magpies, and will initially join the club’s Under-23s set-up, with hopes he could begin to challenge for a place in the first-team squad next season.

The Liverpool-born youngster has spent his entire youth career with his hometown club, and was part of the Anfield-based squad that won the FA Youth Cup in 2019.

He started 15 of Liverpool’s 26 matches in the Premier League 2 reserves league last season, and also made two appearances for Liverpool’s Under-21s in the EFL Trophy.

However, he has been persuaded to join Newcastle in order to boost his chances of breaking into the senior ranks over the course of the next couple of seasons.

Given his age, and the amount of time he has spent in Liverpool’s academy, the Magpies will have pay a compensatory fee of around £250,000 to secure his signature.

When it comes to senior defensive reinforcements this summer, Newcastle continue to be linked with Celtic’s Kristoffer Ajer and Tottenham’s Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Ajer is expected to leave Parkhead this summer, with officials from Newcastle and Bayer Leverkusen both having held talks with the Norwegian and his representatives.

The 23-year-old, who joined Celtic in 2016 and is a full Norway international boasting 23 senior caps, will command a fee of around £6m.

Carter-Vickers, who spent last season on loan at Bournemouth, is about to head into the final year of his contract with Tottenham and is set to be sold this summer.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have added a trip to League One side Rotherham United to their pre-season schedule. The Magpies will visit the New York Stadium on Tuesday, July 27 (7pm).