There’s been a further development in Newcastle United’s pursuit of one of Italy’s fastest-rising young defenders.
Last weekend, it was reported that Atalanta star Giorgio Scalvini was on our radar, with Italian journalist Matteo Moretto revealing that we are ‘very interested’ in signing the 21-year-old.
Since then, The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards, Mark Douglas at the iPaper and The Athletic’s Chris Waugh have confirmed we are admirers of the defender, but an update from Italy has now arrived.
According to reports in Bergamo this afternoon, Newcastle have been quoted a rough asking price for Giorgi Scalvini with Atalanta determined to keep a hold of their star centre-back
[TuttoAtalanta](https://www.tuttoatalanta.com/primo-piano/ta-scalvini-non-si-tocca-la-dea-pronta-a-toglierlo-dal-mercato-e-su-scamacca-119402) claim that Newcastle have ‘tested the waters’ over a deal for the 21-year-old Italian and been ‘forcefully’ told they do not want to sell following a recent approach.
However, it’s a slightly contradictory update, as Scalvini’s ‘untouchable’ status is then thrown into question, with the report later stating that a fee in the region of €40-50m may be considered.
Snippet from TuttoAtalanta reads: ‘_Giorgio Scalvini is untouchable . Atalanta has forcefully reiterated its no to Newcastle , who in recent days has tested the waters for the central defender from Bergamo, offering significant figures._
_‘The Goddess’ response was dry: between 40 and 50 million, a valuation that far exceeds the player’s current market value._
_‘Despite last season’s injuries, in fact, the Nerazzurri club considers the 2003-born player an asset on which to base the defense of the future.’_
One concern is Scalvini’s recent injury record, as no sooner had he returned from a serious ACL injury this past season, he then missed the run in due to a dislocated shoulder.
However, if Newcastle are confident that he’s made a full recovery, this could be a similar situation to our pursuit of Tino Livramento shortly after he returned from a major knee injury before signing from Southampton.
Scalvini’s stock has dipped slightly due to his recent absence, but he was widely considered one of the top young defenders in Europe and this could be Newcastle’s chance to strike, especially if a fee in the region of £35-40m could be negotiated.