Newcastle leading Man Utd, Tottenham in hunt for France forward as Magpies tipped to launch super offer
Newcastle United are ahead of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the chase for a France international as Eddie Howe looks to replace Callum Wilson, according to a report.
Wilson joined Newcastle from Bournemouth in September 2020. According to Sky Sports, Newcastle spent £20million when signing the striker on a four-year contract.
Wilson has done well at St James’ Park, registering 27 goals in 70 appearances for the club. He was one of Newcastle’s best players before the big-money takeover and has continued to have a significant influence on the team even though some big names have arrived since then.
Wilson’s first major threat at Newcastle came when the Magpies spent a club-record £60m to capture Swedish striker Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad.
Isak got off to a good start in England, notching Premier League goals against Liverpool and Bournemouth during his first three Newcastle appearances.
However, the 23-year-old was then ruled out until January with a hamstring injury and this gave Wilson the chance to continue being Newcastle’s number nine, once he returned from his own hamstring problem.
Wilson has played as Newcastle’s main centre-forward for the majority of the campaign and has bagged seven goals in 24 appearances, as well as putting up three assists.
But Isak is now back to full fitness and has forced his way into Howe’s starting lineup in recent weeks. The former La Liga ace has found the back of the net three times in Newcastle’s last two games, helping them pick up consecutive 2-1 victories over Wolves and Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle identify Callum Wilson successor
While Wilson is a proven Premier League goalscorer with England national team experience, Howe could replace him in the summer transfer window. Wilson is now 31, which means it would be a good idea if a younger alternative is found, plus Wilson often struggles with recurring hamstring issues.
French hitman Marcus Thuram is one player who could move to the north east and provide competition for Isak, at Wilson’s expense.
Newcastle thought they would be able to sign 25-year-old Thuram from Borussia Monchengladbach on a cut-price deal in January after he entered the final six months of his contract.
But Gladbach held onto the World Cup striker and he will instead depart the club on a free transfer this summer.
Man Utd and Spurs have recently begun to push for Thuram’s signing. However, according to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Newcastle are posing a serious threat to those two clubs.
Howe’s side are ‘in pole position’ when it comes to bringing Thuram to the Premier League.
Other than Man Utd and Spurs, Newcastle will need to fend off Bayern Munich and Inter Milan if they are to win the transfer race.
Magpies battling Bayern, Inter for Marcus Thuram
Bayern are the best-placed German club to raid Gladbach for him, while Inter have already sent his agent a contract offer.
The report claims Inter’s contract proposal is worth €5m (£4.4m) per season, plus bonuses. That works out at around £85,000 a week.
Sport Witness, who pick up Gazzetta dello Sport’s information, state Newcastle have the potential to offer Thuram way more than this.
For example, their highest earners are Isak and midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, both of whom earn £120,000 per week as per Spotrac.
This means Newcastle can submit a super offer to blow Inter away and get Thuram to join them.
It may be a bit harsh if Newcastle were to ditch Wilson. After all, he still has a few years left in him at the top level.
But this is the kind of transfer which is required if Newcastle are to challenge Arsenal and Manchester City for future league titles. They have already replaced Jonjo Shelvey with Guimaraes, and look how much that has improved the midfield.
Meanwhile, Chelsea and Newcastle are both on alert after learning an AC Milan attacker could soon leave the San Siro.
