Newcastle United might have missed a trick with regards to Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu.
The Magpies wanted the central defender during the summer transfer window but chose not to gamble.
A ball-playing Japan international, the 22-year-old is thought to be available for transfer if a £22 million valuation is met.
Newcastle’s interest was first reported by The Chronicle in September and seemed as though a move was in the offing.
Now, they might have missed the boat as far as landing the highly-rated player goes.
Bologna director Walter Sabatini has suggested that Milan are one of the teams to have enquired about the star man.
He told Milan Live: “In Bologna, there are three or four players capable of playing for Roma, but also for Juventus, Milan or Inter.
“Among these is Tomiyasu, requested by many clubs in our league.”
If the big boys in Italy start to enter the race for the defender’s signature then Newcastle could find themselves out of contention pretty quickly.
Tomiyasu is a proven performer in Serie A and the chance to join one of the big boys is likely to appeal.
This season, the man with 21 caps has showcased his versatility. He has played at centre-back and also at right-back in Sinisa Mihajlovic’s team.
Quality
Typically £22 million wouldn’t sound a lot but for Newcastle every single penny counts.
Decent sums were spent on Callum Wilson and Jamal Lewis in the summer and it’s fair to say a striker and a left-back were more pressing.
Newcastle still might wonder what might have been, however.
Tomiyasu is strong, can play out from the back and ultimately has his best years ahead of him.
Bruce could return for the £12,000-a-week enforcer but he could now be fighting a losing battle.
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