Newcastle United register interest in £50m Serie A star following Aston Villa ‘snub’

Newcastle United have made Serie A giants Juventus aware of their interest in winger Federico Chiesa - according to reports in Italy.

The Bianconeri are believed to be hoping to offload a number of players to balance their books after they failed to secure a place in the Champions League last season. The likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Alex Sandro and Bremer have all been linked with a move away from the club during the summer transfer window - but it is Chiesa that is attracted serious interest according to Gazetta dello Sport.

A report in Thursday’s print edition has suggested Liverpool and Aston Villa have joined Newcastle in registering their interest with Juve - although the report also states Chiesa is ‘not keen’ on a move to Villa Park.

The Magpies can offer the lure of Champions League football after they surpassed their own expectations to secure a top four place in the Premier League last season. That has played an integral role in their imminent signing of AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali, who is expected to formally complete a move to Tyneside over the coming days.

Gazetta dello Sport have referenced the deal for Tonali and have claimed any Magpies move for Chiesa would come at a lower cost than the reported £55million United agreed with Milan for the Italy Under-21 captain last week.

Giovanni Galeone, a mentor to Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri, has claimed Chiesa will be sold this summer in a recent interview with Radio Bianconera, saying: “I think Juventus need to sell somebody and I think both Chiesa and Vlahovic will go. Look at Milan, Napoli and Inter, they sign nobody if they don’t sell first. It’s not easy to find a centre forward at the moment, Milik can be a solid backup, but then you need somebody who can score 20 goals otherwise there is nothing you can do.”

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