Newcastle in 'pole position' to beat Serie A giants to 10-time international defender

Newcastle United look poised to make a key defensive addition this January as they move into pole position to sign Tarik Muharemovic from Sassuolo, according to reports.

The Magpies spent heavily in the summer but mostly on attacking reinforcements, with German centre-back Malick Thiaw and loanee goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale the only incomings at the back.

Thiaw has adjusted very well to life at St. James’ Park, while the likes of Sven Botman, Dan Burn and Fabian Schar continue to put in strong performances. However, the latter two will be 34 years old by the time the 2025/26 season concludes, and there’s a feeling that Eddie Howe will need to freshen up his backline sooner rather than later.

Newcastle United in ‘pole position’ to sign Sassuolo defender Muharemovic

According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle are ‘monitoring the situation’ of Sassuolo centre-back Tarik Muharemovic.

The 10-time Bosnia international is just 22 years old and enjoying a strong campaign so far, ranking in the top 30 Serie A players for interceptions (16th), clearances (14th), aerial duels won (27th), and possessions won in the defensive third (30th) - while he’s also managed a goal and two assists at the other end.

Muharemovic - who has previously represented Wolfsberger AC in Austria - has also shown class on the ball, completing 42.45 passes per 90 minutes at an 84.45% success rate, while he’s yet to be dispossessed in league play.

TEAMtalk’s report states that Newcastle are ‘in pole position’ to sign Muharemovic, but face stiff competition from a host of Serie A giants, including Inter, Juventus, Napoli, AC Milan and Bologna.

Muharemovic initially joined Sassuolo on loan from Juventus in the summer of 2024, but made the transfer permanent ahead of the current campaign after helping the Black and Greens earn promotion back to Serie A - with the Old Lady retaining a 50% sell-on clause.

The defender is under contract at Mapei Stadium until the summer of 2031, so is likely to command a substantial transfer fee, with his market value currently sitting at €7m, according to Transfermarkt.

What next for Newcastle United?

After a slow start, Newcastle have started picking up some form, taking 10 points from their last four league games in a run that includes a 2-1 home win over Manchester City and a 4-1 away thrashing of Everton.

Next up is the small matter of the Wear-Tyne derby at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland, quickly followed up by a continuation of their EFL Cup defence at home to Fulham in the quarter-finals.

The Magpies will then host Chelsea next weekend before a Boxing Day clash away at Manchester United.

In the Champions League, Newcastle sit 12th after letting a 2-1 lead slip late on to draw 2-2 at Bayer Leverkusen in midweek, but Eddie Howe’s men still look primed to qualify for the knockout rounds.

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