Newcastle United now hold a major advantage in the pursuit of an “extraordinary” defender, according to a report.
Eddie Howe keen to strengthen his backline
Bringing in a new defender is clearly one of Eddie Howe’s priorities this January, having identified Lens’ Abdukodir Khusanov as his top target.
Khusanov is open to a move to St James’ Park, with the Magpies now believed to be shifting their transfer policy towards signing players with potential rather than ready-made stars.
The new policy means Newcastle are also keen on signing players with Premier League experience, potentially making Barcelona’s Eric Garcia an intriguing option given his time with Manchester City.
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Newcastle are looking to strengthen their defence in 2025.
Marc Guehi was of interest to Howe back in the summer, but Crystal Palace’s asking price proved to be a major stumbling block. However, a much cheaper option appears to have now been identified.
According to reports from Italy (via Sport Witness), the Magpies are leading the race for Milan defender Fikayo Tomori – and they now hold a major advantage in the race for his signature.
A number of Serie A clubs have also been showing interest in Tomori, with Napoli making contact over a deal, but as per Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan would prefer not to sell him to a direct rival, potentially opening the door for a move to Tyneside.
Encouragement has been handed to Howe’s side in their pursuit of the centre-back, and reports also suggest he could be an affordable option, with the Italian club potentially willing to sanction his departure for a fee in the region of €25m (£21m).
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Newcastle United’s upcoming Premier League fixtures |
|
|---|---|
|
Fixture |
Date |
|
Manchester United (a) |
December 30th |
|
Tottenham Hotspur (a) |
January 4th |
|
Wolverhampton Wanderers (h) |
January 15th |
|
AFC Bournemouth (h) |
January 18th |
|
Southampton (a) |
January 25th |
Tomori struggling for game time
Milan may be willing to get Tomori off the books this January as he has fallen down the pecking order considerably at the San Siro, failing to start a Serie A game since the beginning of October.
That said, the 27-year-old has impressed for the Italian club in the past, receiving high praise from former Milan executive Ivan Gazidis back in 2022, who said:
“Fikayo has been extraordinary during this season. He is absolutely one of the pillars of this team, he is one of those players around whom we want to build our team. He has great dedication on and off the pitch.”
Newcastle’s new transfer policy dictates that players with Premier League experience are preferable, and the Canada-born defender ticks this box from his time with Chelsea, albeit never managing to cement himself as a key, long-term player.
Even though Tomori has fallen out of favour with Milan recently, his previous exploits indicate that he could be a solid signing for Newcastle, and it is an added bonus that he may be available for the relatively low fee of £21m.
