Serie A club 'waiting' for Newcastle United defender bid amid Spurs, AC Milan and Napoli interest

Newcastle United are still aiming to add another centre-back to their squad during the summer transfer window and are considering a number of options.

The long-term injuries suffered by centre-back duo Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles in the final months of last season left Dan Burn and Fabian Schar to see out the campaign as Eddie Howe’s only fit centre-back options. The Magpies have already made a move to boost their defensive ranks with the free transfer addition of Lloyd Kelly after his contract with Premier League rivals Bournemouth came to a close.

United’s attempts to sign Fulham centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo came to an unsuccessful end when he opted to move to Chelsea on a free transfer and that has left Newcastle to consider other options. The Magpies have been linked with an ambitious move for Bologna star Riccardo Calafiori and Juventus youngster Dean Huijsen and Spain international Robin Le Normand have also been mentioned as possible targets.

However, a report from Italian news outlet Corriere Dello Sport has claimed Newcastle have made contact with Serie A club Torino over a deal for £35m-rated centre-back Alessandro Buongiorno. The four-times capped Italy international was an unused substitute for all three of the Azzurri’s Euro 2024 group stage games and remained on the bench as they exited the competition with a disappointing 2-0 defeat in a round of 16 tie against Switzerland last week.

That disappointment came on the back of what had been an impressive season at club level for Buongiorno as he made 31 appearances in all competitions for Torino as they ended the season in ninth place in Serie A. His form reportedly captured the attention of AC Milan midway through last season and Torino president Urbano Cairo opened up on that interest in an interview given just days after the closure of the January transfer window.

He told TuttoMercatoWeb: “Nothing happened, Milan were simply interested but we and the player said he wasn’t for sale. It was all very simple, we met for dinner to tell each other but a phone call would have been enough. We promised ourselves not to talk about it again, we and the player said very clearly no.” When asked how much any suitor would have to pay to secure Buongiorno, he added: “I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it.”

Although the most recent reports from Corriere Dello Sport do not reference any current interest from Milan, there is said to be some interest from Serie A with Napoli keen on a move for the defender as they look to move on from a dismal defence of their Serie A title. Tottenham Hotspur have also been mentioned as a possible suitor for Buongiorno - but the report reveals Torino are waiting on an offer from Newcastle as they assess the merits of a reported £30m offer from Napoli. The report also rates Torino have stated they will demand an initial fee of £35m with around £3m in add-ons before they will authorise the sale of one of their prize assets.