Newcastle won’t be making a summer move for Federico Chiesa, but our interest in Khephren Thuram remains despite Sandro Tonali’s arrival.
Speaking to a source with strong links in recruitment, we’ve been told there’s ‘no truth’ in reports linking Chiesa with a £50m switch.
Talk of our interest has been drummed up by the Italian press, but we’ve been told he is not a player we plan to pursue as his salary demands would go beyond our current wage structure.
However, one player Newcastle maintain genuine interest in is Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram. As we reported last summer, the club held talks with the Ligue 1 side over 12 months ago and have watched him on several occasions since then, with Steve Nickson a big fan of the Frenchman.
The current obstacle is his asking price, with Nice currently demanding more than we are willing to pay for the 22-year-old. It remains to be seen if his price tag will drop. Suggestions Liverpool will no longer sign the 6ft 3′ talent may strengthen our hand and lead to Nice reducing their demands.
With former target Felix Nmecha sealing a move to Borussia Dortmund, Thuram returning from the Under-21 European Championships and Liverpool now looking elsewhere following the arrival of Dominik Szoboszlai, he very much remains one to watch.
