Newcastle ready opening bid for Serie A defender as Villa and Forest could land former Real Madrid star

Newcastle United’s attempts to bolster their defensive ranks are reportedly set to lead the Magpies to Serie A.

A centre-back is said to be at the top of the agenda for the St James Park hierarchy after club captain Jamaal Lascelles and former Lille star Sven Botman both suffered serious knee injuries during the second half of last season and are not expected to return to action until later in the year. Newcastle have already completed the addition of Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly after his Cherries contract came to an end last month - but adding another centre-back remains on the list of priorities throughout the remaining seven weeks of the summer transfer window.

The Magpies are believed to have considered moves for the likes of Juventus youngster Dean Huijsen, Torino star Alessandro Buongiorno and AC Milan’s England international Fikayo Tomori. However, it is the latter’s San Siro team-mate Malick Thiaw that is said to be at the top of Newcastle’s list and Sky Sport Italia have claimed the Serie A giants are expecting an offer for the three-times capped Germany international in the near future.

Thiaw is not believed to be officially up for sale but Milan are ‘open to listening to offers’ and have already identified RB Salzburg’s Strahinja Pavlovic as a possible replacement for the former Schalke 04 star. Newcastle are yet to make an official bid to land Thiaw but the report claims a first approach could come soon after the appointment of Paul Mitchell as the club’s new sporting director.

Villa and Forest handed chance to land former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star

A World Cup star could make a shock return to the Premier League almost three years after enduring a challenging spell with Everton.

There was more than an element of surprise when the Toffees landed Colombian superstar James Rodriguez following his departure from La Liga giants Real Madrid in September 2020 and the attacking midfielder went on to six goals and provide eight appearances in 26 appearances in all competitions. However, Rodriguez’s stay at Goodison Park was limited to a single season and he left to join Qatari side Al-Rayyan just 12 months after his arrival. The former Bayern Munich revealed the arrival of Rafa Benitez sparked the end of his time with the Toffees as he told Noticias RCN: "When he arrived at Everton on the first day he told me 'Go away. You are 30 years old and I want young people, who have energy' and I had a spectacular year with Everton, so I wasn't going to start fighting with him."

An eight-month stint with Greek side Olympiakos came to an end in April last year and Rodriguez has spent the last year with Brazilian Serie A club Sao Paulo. Tribal Football have now claimed Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest ‘have been made aware’ they can sign the 33-year-old on a free transfer and suggested both Premier League clubs have been approached by the player’s representatives. Rodriguez is said to be ‘keen’ to move back to Europe and ‘would welcome’ a second chance to succeed in the Premier League. La Liga club Sevilla and Serie A newcomers Como are also said to have been contacted to assess their interest in a deal for the Colombia star.