Giorgio Scalvini of Atalanta BC looks on after the Serie A match between Atalanta and Juventus at Gewiss Stadium on January 14, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)placeholder image
Giorgio Scalvini of Atalanta BC looks on after the Serie A match between Atalanta and Juventus at Gewiss Stadium on January 14, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Newcastle United are ‘very interested’ in the 21-year-old defender - according to reports in Italy.
Signing a centre-back is a priority for Newcastle this summer and according to Italian journalist Matteo Moretto, they are “very interested” in Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalvini.
Sven Botman is the only Newcastle centre-back under the age of 30, though he has suffered from various knee issues during the last two campaigns. Jamaal Lascelles also missed the whole of last season with an ACL injury, meaning United were fortunate Fabian Schar and Dan Burn managed to remain injury-free.
Newcastle United ‘very interested’ in Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalvini
The Magpies hold a long-term interest in Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi but Scalvini is said to have emerged as a target. The 21-year-old has made 109 appearances for Atalanta since his debut in 2021 and was part of the team that won the Europa League last year.
An international teammate of Newcastle star Tonali, Scalvini also has eight caps for Italy. After finishing third in Serie A last season and qualifying for the Champions League, Atalanta don’t want to lose their young defender but will wait to see if Newcastle “put forward an interest and important proposal”, according to Moretto.
“I can reveal to you that one of the names that Newcastle have on their list is Giorgio Scalvini, an Italian defender of Atalanta,” said Moretto (as translated on the video below).
“Atalanta does not want to lose Scalvini and they consider him a key player for next season. However, we will have to understand whether Newcastle really want to put forward an interesting and important proposal for him or, in short, whether this type of appreciation will stop and nothing more.
“However, I can tell you that Newcastle are very interested in Scalvini, who has also interested other Italian teams, including Napoli, but to date there is no development in this. Newcastle is evaluating whether to submit an offer. We will understand in the next few days if there will be developments.”
Giorgio Scalvini’s injury record
One thing that may concern Newcastle when assessing Scalvini is his injury record. The defender was restricted to just eight appearances last term, first suffering from an ACL injury before a shoulder problem curtailed his season in February.
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Howe’s side took a similar risk two years ago when they signed Tino Livramento from Southampton. The full-back spent over a year out with an ACL issue and had made just two appearances before moving to St James’ Park.
However, it has proven to be a risk worth taking with the 22-year-old establishing himself as a regular in the starting XI last season, impressing hugely at left-back in Lewis Hall’s absence. He has carried that form into the summer, where he is currently starring for England at the under-21s European Championship.
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