Newcastle United transfer target set for St James’ Park visit amid £52m interest

Newcastle United are set to get a closer look at one of their summer transfer targets at the end of this month.

Khephren Thuram is set to visit St James’ Park with Nice on Saturday, August 5 and Sunday, August 6 to compete in the inaugural Sela Cup also involving Newcastle, Fiorentina and Villarreal.

Although Eddie Howe’s side aren’t scheduled to face Nice, Howe and supporters will get an opportunity to see Thuram in action with the French club’s fixtures taking place before Newcastle’s on both days.

That is, of course, subject to the France under-21s midfielder still being at Nice when the tournament kicks off as he continues to attract interest from several European teams.

Thuram was heavily tipped to join Liverpool this time last week with Football Transfers claiming the 22-year-old had already verbally agreed personal terms.

However, the Reds’ pursuit of Thuram now looks to be over after they opted to trigger the £61million release clause of RB Leipzig and Hungary midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.

Jurgen Klopp has spent nearly £100m on two midfielders this summer after moving quickly to sign Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and Hove Albion.

Klopp is keen to add a third midfielder to his ranks after releasing James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain but that may depend on his remaining budget.

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Similarly to Liverpool, Newcastle find themselves in a near identical situation after confirming the £52m plus add-ons arrival of Sandro Tonali on Monday afternoon.

While Howe is keen to sign another midfielder alongside Tonali, Thuram’s price tag is thought to be around a similar region.

Officials at Newcastle have constantly stressed that Financial Fair Play remains an issue having overspent in every transfer window since the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, PCP Partners and RB Sports & Media became owners in October 2021.

Thuram is regarded highly by Newcastle’s recruitment team and could decide to strike if a deal is financially right. He is, however, also liked by Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

The combative midfielder currently has two years remaining on his contract at Nice, where he scored two goals in 48 appearances during the 2022-23 season.