Before Malick Thiaw, Eddie Howe wanted his 26-year-old AC Milan teammate at St James’ Park

Add as preferred source on Google

Eddie Howe is determined to bring in more players before the opening game of the season.

Newcastle have been one of the busier Premier League sides in the transfer window so far this summer, as Eddie Howe’s squad begins to take shape ahead of a crucial season.

The Magpies have managed to offload some fringe players in Jeff Hendrick, Matt Ritchie and Paul Dummett in a bid to make way for new arrivals. Newcastle have been linked with a host of players but Howe has identified two priority positions the club must improve.

One of the players the club have been linked with this summer is AC Milan defender, Malick Thiaw. But Newcastle had originally shown interest in the Germany international’s teammate.

Fikayo Tomori was of interest to Newcastle

Newcastle had previously shown interest in former Chelsea defender, Fikayo Tomori, as reported by Milanlive. However, the Magpies were put off by the price tag set by Milan, thought to be €45m.

The club’s hierarchy have since turned their attention to Tomori’s centre-back partner, Thiaw, who is available for a lower fee.

The Telegraph reported Newcastle have in ‘excess of £100m’ to spend this summer, and a move for Thiaw instead of Tomori will be more appealing given the numbers involved. The club must find a fine balance between improving the squad without overspending.

Departures from Milan are expected

Former Milan striker turned senior advisor, Zlatan Ibrahimovic made it clear that he wanted the club’s star players to remain at the San Siro. The likes of Tomori, Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez are unlikely to depart the club this summer.

However, according to Milanlive, the club are expected to let some players go to raise money for improvements to their squad.

This could open the door for Newcastle to complete the signing of Thiaw and test Milan’s resolve, with Howe keen to bolster his defence after Jamaal Lascelles and Sven Botman suffered ACL injuries last season.

The Newcastle manager has already added former Bournemouth defender, Lloyd Kelly to the squad this summer, but an additional centre-back is among the list of targets, and Thiaw clearly fits the club’s criteria.

Should the club wrap up a deal for Thiaw it would be a statement of intent and a signing Newcastle supporters could get excited about.