Newcastle get ‘golden opportunity’ to beat Tottenham to big transfer

Newcastle and Tottenham are keen on Alessandro Buongiorno

Newcastle have a ‘golden opportunity’ to beat Tottenham and Napoli to the signature a top Serie A defender, according to reports from Italy.

The Magpies are ready to step up their transfer plans now that Sunday’s PSR deadline has passed and Eddie Howe wants to strengthen in several areas.

The manager is keen to bring in more cover in the centre-back position to provide cover for Sven Botman and Fabian Schar, despite Newcastle already sealing a free transfer for Lloyd Kelly.

One name that keeps cropping up is Torino star Alessandro Buongiorno, who was one of the standout performers in Serie A last season.

Like Kelly, the 24-year-old can also play as a left-back, so he could prove to be a valuable addition to the Magpies’ squad.

Buongiorno made 29 league appearances for Torino last term, scoring two goals and helping his team to an impressive 15 clean sheets in the process.

As previously reported by TEAMtalk, Tottenham are one of the clubs keeping tabs on Buongiorno’s situation as they eye competition for Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin.

A fresh report has named Napoli as Newcastle’s main competition in the race for the defender, however.

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Newcastle ‘in contact’ over defender deal

According to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, Napoli have made an offer of  €35m (£29.7m), including bonuses, for Buongiorno.

Torino’s ‘demand’ is €40m plus €5m in add-ons, but the club are said to be ‘considering’ the bid.

Torino are now considering their options but are taking their time as they are ‘waiting’ to see if Newcastle firm up their interest in Buongiorno with an offer.

Recent reports have suggested that the Magpies have ‘made contact’ over a deal, with their first enquiry coming two months ago.

Torino would prefer to sell their star defender early in the transfer window to give them time to find an adequate replacement, so Howe’s side will have to move quickly to get a deal done.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are determined to keep their best players and the chances of Alexander Isak joining Chelsea are practically zero, now that he has a £150m price tag on his head.

However, the same cannot be said for Anthony Gordon. As we exclusively revealed on Monday, Liverpool have not given up hope of signing the England winger as they believe his ‘head has been turned’ by their interest.

Gordon forced an exit from Everton in January 2023 and Newcastle chiefs are allegedly fearful that he could do the same to them when he returns from the Euros.

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