Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has responded to a question regarding a potential move for Malick Thiaw, confirming his admiration for the defender.
A report from HITC yesterday stated that Newcastle are close to agreeing a £35m deal – which is around €41m – for Thiaw after talks were held over the weekend, and that Milan’s signing of Strahinja Pavlovic is one to cover for his exit.
However, a follow-up report from Sky Germany denied that the former Schalke centre-back is close to joining the Magpies, and his agent Gordon Stipic confirmed this in a comment that he made to the journalist who wrote the article.
“The current reporting about my client Malick Thiaw in connection with a possible transfer to Newcastle United is false and incorrect. Therefore, I will not comment on any further rumours,” he said.
Newcastle are in Tokyo on preseason tour where they will face J-League side Urawa Diamonds on Wednesday, and Howe spoke to the media. He was asked for an update on the Thiaw pursuit, with his response relayed by ShieldsGazette.
“No, there’s no update on that. “I’m always reluctant to comment but he is a player that I know about of course from our games in the Champions League against Milan and yeah, he is a very good player.”
Thiaw has made 54 appearances for the Rossoneri since joining from Schalke but last season he missed quite a large chunk due to a quite serious hamstring injury. The Sky Germany report suggested he would be gladly stay at Milan, where he feels very happy.