NEWCASTLE IN CONTACT FOR "EXCELLENT" 38M STAR WITH SAME AGENT AS TONALI
The inquest into Newcastle United's disappointing seventh placed finish in the Premier League last season will likely point towards issues in defence as the root cause. With this in mind, the Toon are now in the market for a number of names to bolster their backline.
Defenders are the Toon's top priority this summer
The latest rumours out of St James' Park have all centered around the Toon's search for a new central defender. Fikayo Tomori has been the name most commonly linked with the vacancy in the Magpies' backline with the Englishman rumoured to be leaving AC Milan this summer for a £40 million fee.
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Joining the former Chelsea man on PIF's wishlist is his current teammate Malick Thiaw. The German defender is slightly cheaper than Tomori with AC Milan only wanting a rumoured £21 million to part ways with the centre back this summer.
Federico Gatti is another name doing the rounds as a target for the Toon. The Italian press have claimed that Newcastle could shortly formalise an offer for the Juventus man with a bid in excess of £25 million supposedly required to get a deal over the line.
Newcastle are evidently fans of Italian top flight defenders with the club now making contact with a Serie A club about bringing one of their players to St James' Park.
Newcastle in contact for Italian defender
As first reported by Sport Witness, the Italian press are claiming that Newcastle have a golden opportunity to place a bid for Torino defender Alessandro Buongiorno.
The outlet states that Napoli recently submitted an offer in the region of £30 million for the Italy international which was just shy of the figure that Torino are looking to receive.
Sport Witness state that Newcastle could then agree a deal for the player if they can match the £38 million fee that the Turin outfit are holding out for. Torino, for their part, are holding off on accepting Napoli's proposal in the hope of that higher offer from the Magpies.
Newcastle have been linked with a move for Buongiorno as far back as May 2023, with these rumours intensifying recently thanks to the Toon making contacts with Torino over a potential transfer this summer.
Whilst remaining in Italy may be Buongiorno's assumed preference, the defender's connection to Newcastle's Sandro Tonali could tip the scales in the Toon's favour. A previous report by Sport Witness states that the two players share the same agent, meaning there already exists a relationship between some of the parties involved in any negotiations.
The defender made 31 appearances for Torino in all competitions last season as his side finished ninth in Serie A. Buongiorno's exploits in Turin saw him earn his first call-up to the Italian national team back in June 2023.
Speaking at the time, former Italy manager Robert Mancini spoke highly of the defender: "He was excellent: he's used to playing in a different way and it wasn't easy to make his debut in such a game. He applied himself excellently."
With Newcastle's need for a new centre back this summer well known, the Toon could do a lot worse than an international defender whose current side are waiting for the Magpies to make a move.
2024-07-02T23:51:46Z dg43tfdfdgfd