Newcastle United transfer target underlines value with Real Madrid goal
by Stuart Jamieson · ChronicleLiveNewcastle United spent a large part of the summer transfer window in pursuit of Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, but he wasn't the only central defender on the club's radar.
The Magpies ultimately failed in a bid to agree a deal for England defender Guehi with the Eagles, despite talk of a £70m bid. Whether they return with a January offer remains to be seen, but there are still several other players Paul Mitchell and the club's scouting network will be keeping an eye on.
One player who had been strongly linked with a move to Newcastle earlier in the summer was AC Milan centre-back Malick Thiaw. United opted not to pursue reported interest, but the German defender has had a mixed start to the campaign in Italy. An ankle injury meant he struggled for gametime earlier in the season, but he has now established himself back in the Milan starting XI.
The Rossoneri have failed to impress in Serie A, but Thiaw certainly caught the headlines in Tuesday night's Champions League clash with holders Real Madrid. The 23-year-old opened the scoring with a powerful header from a corner to give Paulo Fonseca's side the lead.
Vinicius Junior equalised from the penalty sport, but Milan regained the lead through Alvaro Morata before the break. Tijjani Reijnders added a third for Milan in the second half as they recorded a famous away win.
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