Khephren Thuram
In Italy, Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali has consistently been a talking point and the media has always doubted his long-term future at the Magpies.
Last week,Sport Witness covered claims about the midfielder’s entourage trying to engineer an exit from the Magpies.
Gazzetta dello Sport appeared certain that he is likely to stay in England, with Italian clubs priced out. A move to Juventus would be quite difficult, largely due to Newcastle United’s lofty demands for the Italian.
Even if Tonali may not move to Turin, his replacement can come from Serie A. The player in question is Juve’s Khephren Thuram.
Magpies in the fray for signing
Calciomercato IT report that the Frenchman can leave the Old Lady in the summer. This will be especially true if Luciano Spalletti’s side fail to qualify for the Champions League and it will prompt them to make a major sale.
Thuram joined Juve for a package worth €20m from Nice. His value has gone up quite a bit since then and his sale will grant Spalletti’s side a major capital gain.
While Manchester United and Liverpool interested Thuram, Newcastle United are also pushed as a suitor. They can move for the 25-year-old if they lose Tonali at the end of the season.
To sign Thuram, clubs would need a fee of €60m. This is mainly because he is one of Juve’s most important players and they will not let him depart cheaply.
The Turin club are working on his renewal but things can change depending on how their season ends.
Our take: Thuram and Tonali are different profiles
Even if there should be no doubts about Thuram’s qualities, he is different from Tonali.
The France international is more of a ball-carrier and thrives playing further forward in midfield. Using him in a deeper midfield role like the Italy international would be a case of incorrectly profiling him and taking away his strengths as a player.
At Newcastle United, Tonali has mainly played in a deeper role this season. While that also isn’t the best use of the ex-AC Milan player, Thuram has always been more of a number eight than the Italian.
Tonali switched, though, so perhaps it’s a similar plan for Thuram.