Newcastle United And Chelsea Are ‘Still Very Keen’ On 8 Cap International Despite Fresh Contract Agreement
Newcastle United are “still very keen” on signing Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini, despite the player agreeing a new contract, according to reports.
The Italian, who has been capped 8 times by his country, put pen to paper on an extension that will keep him in Bergamo until the summer of 2031.
However, TEAMtalk claim that the Magpies are “long-term” admirers of Scalvini, and they will continue to monitor the player’s progress along with other Premier League clubs.
Chelsea (who have signed two other Atalanta players in recent months) are said to be keeping tabs on his development too, along with Tottenham, Manchester United and Manchester City.
Scalvini has had an injury-free year
One of the main issues that has deterred Newcastle from making a move for the centre-back is his fitness record. He spent the majority of the 2024/25 season on the sidelines with two serious injuries (knee and shoulder).
Scalvini also struggled with a hamstring problem at the beginning of last campaign, but he has started almost every match since the beginning of 2026. He has only missed one match this year, when he sat out the 2-2 draw against Udinese in March due to a knock.
Newcastle will need reinforcements at centre-back soon
Fabian Schar will turn 35 at the end of this year, and based on his limited game time under Matthias Jaissle so far, it seems likely that he will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Dan Burn is also not getting any younger, while Sven Botman has a rather chequered injury record, so recruiting another centre-half either in January or next summer does make a lot of sense.
Scalvini would be high up the shortlist, but his new contract means he certainly won’t be available on the cheap.