Newcastle United transfer boost in pursuit of £52m star after Liverpool ‘verbal agreement’

Tonali joined Newcastle for a reported £52million earlier this week and Thuram has been valued at the same amount. The 22-year-old has been targeted by both United and Liverpool this summer.

At one stage it seemed as though Liverpool had won the race to sign the French international with claims that he had verbally agreed personal terms with The Reds.

While Liverpool have been in contact with Thuram’s representatives, the claims were quickly dismissed by the club.

Following the arrival of Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig over the weekend for £61million, Liverpool are no longer pursuing the Nice midfielder as they turn their attention towards Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims Liverpool will soon open talks to sign the 19-year-old Belgian.

Liverpool distancing themselves from Thuram potentially opens the door for Newcastle to swoop in. The Frenchman still has two years left on his current deal at Nice and could be available for less than the previously reported £52million valuation.

The combative 6ft 4in midfielder scored twice in 48 appearances for Nice during the 2022-23 campaign and has been monitored by Newcastle’s head of recruitment Steve Nickson.

The combative 6ft 4in playmaker is valued at around £52million by Nice and has also attracted interest from the likes of Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. He has two years remaining on his current deal at the Ligue 1 club, where he scored two goals in 48 appearances during the 2022-23 campaign.