· 10 July 2025, 10:00
**As we await confirmation of Anthony Elanga's move from Nottingham Forest, there is more potential good transfer news for Newcastle United.**
One position Eddie Howe is keen to see improved this summer is central defence. Newcastle have been short of quality options for a right-sided centre-back for a while, and with Fabian Schar not getting any younger, he can't leave it much longer before the gap in the squad is addressed.
It was the club's highest priority last summer with Newcastle and Crystal Palace locked in talks for weeks over Marc Guehi before the Magpies ended up empty-handed.
Now, 12 months on, the interest in Guehi seems to have cooled, but there was another player Newcastle were keen on last year who seems to be on the move.
> [](https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1942968413850116418)
Malick Thiaw's proposed move to Como has fallen apart
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AC Milan's Malick Thiaw was identified as a target last summer, with reports suggesting that a move was close. Thiaw's form dropped a bit last season, and as a result, so too has is value.
Milan had recently accepted a £21 million offer from Como for Thiaw, but Fabrizio Romano has now posted on X that the German defender has rejected the move.
> "🚨❌ Malick Thiaw will NOT join Como, deal off after the defender rejected the proposal.
>
> "AC Milan agreed €25m fee with Como but talks now over."
A move for Malick Thiaw should now be very easy for Newcastle
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That should surely be a one-yard tap-in for Newcastle if they still have any interest in the 23-year-old. They know the fee AC Milan want and they will be able to offer Thiaw terms he'd be happy with, as well as Champions League football.
Signing Thiaw would save Newcastle so much money if they were expecting to fork out over £40 million for Marc Guehi. Thiaw may take a bit more time to get up to speed with Premier League football, and could perhaps do with having his confidence boosted after a middling season in Milan, but this just seems like a no-brainer to us.
We'll see if anything comes of it, but we can't see why Newcastle would't make this one happen.