EXCLUSIVE: Newcastle keen on Monaco star Youssouf Fofana

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 23 Jun 2023 08:25 BST
• 3 min read

Newcastle United have identified Youssouf Fofana as a possible target for this summer while interest remains in Manu Kone and Khephren Thuram, FootballTransfers has been told.

The Monaco player is being eyed by some of the recruitment staff at the club as one of the possible options for summer transfers.

Kone is also of long-standing interest, we are told, and Thuram remains high on the list as well, though the Frenchman agreed a deal in principle with Liverpool, who are now in talks with Nice over a suitable fee. There remains confidence a deal can get done.

READ MORE: Arteta given £200m transfer fund to complete THREE priority deals

We understand, too, with Kim Min-jae heading to Bayern Munich from Napoli, Newcastle have Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen under consideration. The right-sided centre-back impressed in the Premier League last season and his ball-playing ability makes him a suitable challenger for the spot that Fabian Schar currently holds.

As has been reported elsewhere, any proposal for Inter’s Nicolò Barella at around £50m would be far too low and his current club will demand will north of that.

Tonali bid

It comes after the news that Newcastle have made a bid for AC Milan star Sandro Tonali. It is not clear yet whether the club will accept the offer but it would mark Eddie Howe's first summer arrival.

Tonali is thought to be the next big one in Italy and comparisons have been made between the 23-year-old and Andrea Pirlo.

The midfielder is a life-long Milan fan and so it would take some doing in persuading him to make the move to St James' Park.

Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) explained

Our Player Valuation Model calculates an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) for more than 240.000 players in the world.

Read more here.

Our Player Valuation Model calculates an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) for more than 240.000 players in the world. It uses information on the player's skill, potential, performance, contract duration, position and other statistics to estimate an accurate ETV.

Read more here.

FootballTransfers has Tonali has the most valuable Italian player with an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €68million.