Newcastle United have to do all they can this summer to sign a highly rated young centre-back.
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United have been frustrated so far in the transfer window with PSR issues preventing the club from spending the amount of money that they would have liked to without sales needed.
After Liverpool opened talks with Newcastle over Anthony Gordon, the Magpies decided they could not lose a key player and sold winger Yankuba Minteh to Brighton & Hove Albion for £30 million.
This solved the club’s PSR problems and they can now begin work on signings with one defender from AC Milan understood to be of interest.
Newcastle have to sign Malick Thiaw
A new defender should be one of the club’s key priorities this summer with Dutchman Sven Botman still recovering from the ACL injury which affected him so much last season.
HITC have reported that Newcastle United and West Ham United have held talks about the signing of German defender Thiaw and former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori.
Newcastle have been talking to Milan about Thiaw for several weeks – HITC can confirm that they have also talked about Tomori.
However, whilst Tomori would have more Premier League experience compared to the German defender, going for Thiaw has to be the option for the Magpies.
Antonio Rudiger said the defender showed ‘great personality’ on international duty for Germany, despite losing 1-0 to Poland, when he spoke to One Football.
Malick Thiaw a strong young prospect
At just 22 years of age, German defender Thiaw has become a staple of the AC Milan side since his transfer to the as he made 21 Serie A appearances for the Rossoneri.
The defender excels in his passing, with the German boasting a 92 per cent pass accuracy, whilst he also accustomed to progressive passes and progressive carries, which is something that Botman was brilliant at for Newcastle.
Inexperience in the Premier League could be a concern but former Germany manager Hansi Flick was keen to praise his maturity following that defeat to Poland.
“If you want to single someone out from the team, it’s Malick Thiaw, who played very solidly and maturely,” Flick said.
A move to the Premier League would be a risk but certainly a risk worth taking for Newcastle.
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