Newcastle United have agreed a deal to sign Malick Thiaw from AC Milan for a fee of around £35million.
A lot of time has been spent searching for improvements to the Magpies’ starting XI with little reward, but Eddie Howe will be delighted to learn that a new centre-back is on the way and that he will be signing his contract in the next couple of days.
Malick Thiaw had already agreed personal terms ahead of a move to Newcastle United, and now the deal has been given the go-ahead after an offer of £35million was accepted by AC Milan on Saturday.
Thiaw is travelling to England for his Newcastle medical on Sunday. It was widely reported that Newcastle wanted to sign Thiaw in 2024, but the deal broke down when the two clubs could not agree on a transfer fee. However, that has not been the case this time around, and Howe has got the defender he has been so keen on signing.
Thiaw looks to have played his final game for AC Milan, a cameo appearance against Leeds United in Dublin. It now looks like Newcastle have got their timing for the deal bang on, as a new development elsewhere means they were set to miss out on one of their top targets.
Marc Guehi during a friendly between Augsburg and Crystal Palace.
Photo by Severin Aichbauer/SEPA.Media /Getty Images
Liverpool favourites to sign Newcastle United target Marc Guehi
Newcastle have had a strange history with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi. At one point, the 24-year-old’s move to the North East looked nailed on, but Newcastle’s bids rising up to £70million were rejected by Steve Parish, and Guehi remained an Eagle.
Guehi has since won the FA Cup with Palace, but his future looks like it could be away from the London club. Reports earlier in the summer stated that Newcastle were still keen on signing Guehi, who could cost around £50million, but Liverpool were also keeping tabs on his situation.
According to The Telegraph, Liverpool are now in pole position to land the centre-back this summer as Arne Slot looks to continue his heavy spending in the transfer window.
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The Reds have already spent £269million this summer, and do not look like they will stop any time soon, with more signings in the pipeline.
Liverpool leading the race for Guehi would have been a big problem for Newcastle a few days ago, but with Thiaw joining, it is hardly an inconvenience for them.
Newcastle United are hopeful of signing another player after Malick Thiaw
The arrival of Thiaw gives Howe a young centre-back who will likely be the heir to Fabian Schar, who is now 34 with a year left on his contract.
Thiaw relieves a longstanding headache for Newcastle, but there is still work to be done before the summer can be deemed a success. It has been confirmed that Newcastle are edging closer to a deal for Yoane Wissa, with the forward making it clear to Brentford that he is ready to go.
However, Liverpool have made a late enquiry for the 28-year-old in an attempt to prise him away from the Magpies’ clutches. Thankfully, Wissa only wants Newcastle and is excited about the prospect of playing in the Champions League next season.
Wissa’s transfer fee is expected to be around the £35million mark, which is a good deal considering he scored 19 Premier League goals last season.