Malick Thiaw is heading to Newcastle and AC Milan have already found his replacement – which is bad news for Tottenham Hotspur.
Malick Thiaw is Newcastle-bound, with Eddie Howe finally having some luck in the summer transfer market.
The German centre-back’s arrival on Tyneside is imminent, with Thiaw missing training ahead of his proposed move, which is essentially all but confirmed.
Particularly as the Italian side have already lined up a replacement, which has a direct impact on Thomas Frank’s side.
Koni De Winter is joining AC Milan as Malick Thiaw replacement
The ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano confirmed via X that Koni De Winter will be joining AC Milan.
He writes: ‘Koni De Winter to AC Milan, here we go! Verbal agreement done with Genoa and player side.
‘Package around €20m (£17m) with clubs sorting final details, then green light to medical tests in Milano early next week. De Winter will sign a long-term deal at Milan.’
The 23-year-old Belgian centre-back who enjoyed a fantastic season last year at Genoa, which has led to interest from Milan, and intrigue from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. That included Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham wanted Koni De Winter
Tottenham were interested in Koni De Winter, but this has just confirmed the chances of signing the Belgian centre-half are now zero. Instead, Tottenham will need to look elsewhere.
Spurs boast two of the world’s best centre-backs in Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, but beyond them, Frank’s options are limited.
With both players prone to injury, Spurs must now consider whether signing another centre-half this summer is necessary.
On top of that, replacing James Maddison, who is out for the season, will mean a busy final month ahead in North London’s transfer market.
However, one player who won’t be joining is De Winter, as he looks forward to his new chapter at Milan’s San Siro.