Newcastle United & Chelsea interested in signing £52m midfielder locked in talks with Liverpool

Newcastle United remain interested in Khephren Thuram as Eddie Howe looks to bolster his midfield options.

After last Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea - the last match of the 2022-23 Premier League season - Magpies head coach Howe hinted a midfielder was on his transfer wishlist.

“We go into a lot of competitions next year so we need the depth,” said the 45-year-old. “This year, we’ve been light in certain areas of the pitch.

“We’ve carried in the second half of the season four midfielders. so you’re one injury away from a very difficult situation so we little bit more depth, certainly with three games in a week next year."

And one player under consideration is Nice midfielder Thuram, as relayed by i News. However, the Magpies are expected to face competition from the likes of Liverpool - who are reportedly already in talks - Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.

The 22-year-old, who earned his first France senior call-up in March, was on track to play in each of Nice’s 51 matches this season before a hamstring injury ruled him out of the remaining three games.

“I want to progress, go on the field, have fun,” Thuram said recently on his future. “For now, I’m in Nice. It’s going very well. I really like the club, so I still see myself in Nice. I am very well in Nice.

“There are noises, I hear, but I’m happy in Nice. I hope to grow with this club. I would like him [Didier Digard, manager] to stay because he brought a lot to this group when it was in a difficult period.

“I don’t know if I tell him enough but he’s someone I can never thank enough. He helped me a lot in difficult times in my young career. We worked a lot together. I wish him only happiness, in Nice, or elsewhere.”

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The combative 6ft 4in midfielder, whose current contract doesn’t expire until 2025, is reportedly valued at £52million. His manager Didier Digard has tipped Thuram to “have a very big career”.

“Khephren’s fantastic,” Digard said. “He’s very hardworking, very attentive. On rest days he’s at the training centre. He recovers quickly for back-to-back matches and completes high-intensity training.

“He listens and applies himself. He has room for improvement and he’s in demand. He simply eats up video analysis, additional sessions. He also advises others, because he takes on a leadership role. He’s also discovering himself as a person.

“He’s already in the France team, but I’m convinced that he’ll have a very big career. But there must still be a little bit in Nice to go to continue his progress.”

Khephren is the brother of Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram, who has also been linked with Newcastle because of his close friendship with Allan Saint-Maximin.