AC Milan make £15m defensive move which could have positive Newcastle United domino effect
Newcastle United are keeping close tabs on a defender who played against them in the Champions League
AC Milan have confirmed the £15m signing of Red Bull Salzburg defender Strahinja Pavlović, in a move which only further fuels the speculation surrounding the future of Newcastle-linked defender Malick Thiaw.
Newcastle are in the market for a new central defender this summer to boost the club’s chances of returning to Europe after long-term injuries to club captain Jamaal Lascelles and colossal Dutch defender Sven Botman.
The duo, who both missed large stages of last season, sustaining ACL injuries which are likely to keep them out for a number of months this season, and at this moment there is not yet a timescale on when they are likely to return to action.
As it stands, Newcastle have Dan Burn and Fabian Schar at their disposal along with summer signing Lloyd Kelly, who himself has not had the best injury-record in recent seasons at Bournemouth. The Magpies made a well-documented effort to sign former Fulham centre back Tosin Adariaboyo back in June, but in a late U-turn after advanced negotiations the 26-year-old opted to remain in London and completed a move to join Chelsea instead.
Several names such as Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi and Benfica’s Antonio Silva have both been linked with the North East club in recent months, but the most concrete links seem to surround AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw, who starred against the Magpies in the Champions League earlier this season.
The three-time German international is a product of the Schalke academy, who joined AC Milan in 2022 after a string of impressive performances in Germany’s top two leagues. Having spent most of his early months on the sidelines with injury, Thiaw emerged as an important player at the San Siro in the second half of his debut season and formed a fine partnership with Fikayo Tomori and Pierre Kalulu as the Italian giants reached the semi-final of the Champions League, with future Newcastle man Sandro Tonali pulling the strings in the middle of the park.
Thiaw remained important in his second season, featuring 21 times for an AC Milan side which finished runners-up in Serie A behind rival Inter. The 22-year-old is renowned for his excellent speed, strength and defensive awareness which have earned him international recognition as well as interest from a number of elite clubs.
Football Insider has already claimed that the Magpies have had a bid of £25m rejected for the youngster earlier in the summer and understands that a bid of £35m could be enough to get the deal done.
AC Milan were short on defensive options to replace Thiaw, but the recent capture of Serbian international Pavlović on a four-year deal suggests that manager Paulo Fonseca is already making contingency plans for Thiaw’s departure. Thiaw is under contract until June 2027 and is also the subject of interest from Real Madrid, according to German outlet WAZ.