Newcastle launch £26m bid - Big claims from Italy & the message back from Tyneside

Newcastle United must move on in the transfer market and start signing players, with Benjamin Sesko the latest blow as he heads to Old Trafford instead.

Moving on, we need a centre-back and NUFCBlog did exclusively reveal last week that we've reignited our interest in AC Milan's Malick Thiaw.

Fabrizio Romano confirmed this yesterday, reporting that Newcastle are in discussions with the Serie A giants over a deal to bring the 23-year-old to St James' Park.

Today, we have conflicting claims, with one side claiming we've launched a bid, while sources close to home suggest we have not, yet.

Starting with the big claims from Italy, Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Luca Bianchin reports that Newcastle have lodged a £26m bid for Thiaw, which he claims has been rejected by Milan.

However, according The Mail's Craig Hope, sources on Tyneside insist that no formal offer has gone in yet, despite Newcastle's interest and eagerness to explore a deal with Milan.

One source of frustration and bemusement here is why Newcastle have made a move this late. Just last month, Milan agreed a £21.5m deal with Como, only for Thiaw to reject the move.

A few weeks on, however, he's impressed new boss Max Allegri during their pre-season tour in the Far East, meaning he'll now demand a bigger fee, if he's even allowed to leave, that is.