£52m star who ‘verbally agreed personal terms’ with Liverpool eyed by Newcastle United

Newcastle United retain an interest in Khephern Thuram but the Nice midfielder could miss out on a move to the Premier League this summer.

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.

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 Magpies’ head coach Eddie Howe wants 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.

Thuram is currently competing at the under-21s European Championship with France, although did get a senior call-up in March.

Khephren is the brother of free agent Marcus Thuram, who recently joined Inter Milan on a free transfer after leaving Borussia Monchengladbach.

As well as a midfielder, Howe is looking to sign a left-back, centre-back and a versatile forward.