EXCLUSIVE: Newcastle reignite interest in Malick Thiaw after £50m demands last summer

After an 18-month pursuit of the AC Milan center back, Malick Thiaw, Newcastle United has rekindled their interest in him.

Newcastle has been keeping tabs on the highly-regarded German for some time, as we disclosed in an exclusive NUFCBlog post in June of last year. Club scouts shortlisted Thiaw for the 2022–2023 campaign.

During the last three transfer windows, Newcastle has been searching for a young right-sided center-back; however, due to budgetary constraints and Milan’s demands, which were reportedly about £50 million last summer, the request was rejected after a year ago.

After a year, we’re still searching for an athletic option who can challenge Fabian Schar and eventually take his spot, but earlier this month, Tosin Adarabioyo’s decision to leave Tyneside for Stamford Bridge forced a change in our plans, bringing Thiaw back into the picture.

Although Thiaw is still a valuable asset to AC Milan, it’s anticipated that his worth has somewhat declined after a difficult season for the 22-year-old. In December, the former Schalke star sustained a catastrophic hamstring injury that prevented him from playing for two and a half months.

After regaining his fitness in February, Thiaw only started eight of Milan’s final 14 league games. Fikayo Tomori, another player who has recently been linked to Newcastle, is frequently partnered with 24-year-old Italian Matteo Gabbia.

It’s still a difficult transaction to close, particularly since we’ll probably be spending most of our money on a good right winger. But Newcastle, who adore the German, has been following him for the

The team has a history of purchasing the “dip” in recent years; Anthony Gordon, Tino Livramento, and Alexander Isak all joined after having challenging seasons. and Thiaw checks a lot of boxes in our quest for a right-sided center defender because he is athletic, adept at playing defense from the front, and a solid ball handler.

Newcastle has, on the other hand, had a busy start to their summer youth recruitment campaign. The club defeated Manchester United, Aston Villa, and Brighton to land Portsmouth’s talented midfielder CJ Afumuzor, who will join our Academy ranks. Additionally, 16-year-old center-back Aaron Epia has signed a contract after making an impression during his Everton trial, and the club is still in negotiations with Blackburn to acquire Irish talent Rory Finneran.

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