‘Newcastle ready Fikayo Tomori offer’ as officials spotted in Italy
Newcastle United have had scouts in attendance at a number of AC Milan games this season as they lineup a move to sign Fikayo Tomori.
That is according to former Man United and Sunderland chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that Eddie Howe is keen to strengthen at centre-back after missing out on Marc Guehi.
This comes after Football Insider revealed that the Magpies have made contact with the 27-year-old’s camp, but his future will depend on Milan’s willingness to sell.
Newcastle were keen to land Tomori in the summer but there were doubts about his willingness to make the move to the North East.
Now, the centre-back is believed to be keen on a return to England and Newcastle have moved to the front of the cue in their attempts to land him.
His pace and ability to read the game are key factors in Newcastle’s interest, while he is also an England international, with homegrown talent a focus of their recruitment.
Newcastle scouts watching Fikayo Tomori amid transfer plan
Tomori has lost his place in the Milan side this season and has played just 103 minutes in Serie A since starting in a 2-1 defeat against Fiorentina in October.
Brown, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted that he expects Newcastle to make a move to bring him back to England this month.
“He’s one I saw a lot of while he was in the youth team at Chelsea,” he told Football Insider.
“He’s quick, reads the game very well, and he’s come on a lot since his move to Italy.
“Newcastle will know all about him, though, because they’ve had scouts watching him in Milan for a number of games this season.
“So they’ve been putting together reports about his progress and how he would fit into the team.
“They’ve just had Botman return from injury, and then they’ve got Schar and Dan Burn at the back too, but they want to add a bit more quality to that.
“Botman is a more stable and solid option than Tomori, but he hasn’t got the pace.
“Eddie Howe wants to improve his options and after they missed out on Guehi in the summer, I’d expect them to make a move this month.
“If he wants to return to England, as has been suggested, I think they’ll be at the front of the queue.”
In other news, Newcastle are being “forced” to accept Harvey Barnes offers.
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