Newcastle United are considering a summer move for Torino defender Alessandro Buongiorno, who has emerged as a cheaper alternative to Atalanta’s Giorgi Scalvini.
Scalvini has been watched extensively by club scouts and remains a long-term target, but fellow Serie A talent Buongiorno is one of several options currently under consideration.
Buongiorno, 24, earned a call-up to the Italian national team last summer and has helped Torino boast the fourth-best defence in Serie A this season, conceding 26 goals in 29 games.
He isn’t the only centre-back who has been watched closely, with Benfica’s Antonio Silva, Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba, Ousmane Diomande of Sporting Lisbon and Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo all looked at last summer.
The club are keen to bring in someone to compete with and eventually replace Fabian Schar, but left-sided cover is also needed now Sven Botman is set to miss the first few months of the 2024/25 season as he recover from ACL surgery.
He may not be the only player to go under the knife in the coming months, as both Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock have been managing niggling injuries for the majority of the campaign, with Alexander Isak’s groin also an ongoing concern.
Whatever happens on the injury front between now and the end of May, it promises to be a busy summer at St James’ Park.
