Newcastle United are reportedly close to making a move for Torino defender Alessandro Buongiorno who is also wanted by Serie A side Napoli.
The Magpies have been keen on Buongiorno since the end of last season but are yet to make an official bid for him. Former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte and Napoli have already made an offer for the defender of £30 million.
However Torino have set a price tag of roughly £34 million, but are considering the bid from their Serie A rivals. They are expecting to receive a bid from Newcastle but no move has yet been made by Eddie Howe’s side.
The 25 year-old defender has been at Torino for four years and looks certain to be on the move this summer. He can play at left back, but is more of a natural centre back.
This past season, Buongiorno made 29 league appearances for Torino scoring three goals and recording one assist. He would provide an injury prone Newcastle defence with a stable centre back option.
How likely are Newcastle to make a bid?
Seeing as the Magpies have had a long-standing interest in Buongiorno, it would come as a surpise if they refrain from making any sort of bid on the defender, especially seeing as they have competition.
Italian Newspaper Corriere dello Sport have reported that Torino are waiting to hear from the Magpies on a bid for the 25 year-old, hence why they are yet to accept the bid from Napoli.
Based on that fact, it seems very likely that Newcastle will make some kind of move for Buongiorno and fairly soon at that, so as not to keep Torino waiting.
With Manchester United very much in the market for a centre-back you can see the Old Trafford outfit throwing their hat into the ring a factor Eddie Howe and the Newcastle brain trust will be aware of especially now that Dan Ashworth has left St James Park.
