The towering Marc Guehi alternative Newcastle United could land for £20m less and take club to the next level

Newcastle United are trying everything to strengthen their defence with Marc Guehi, but the harder they try, the higher Crystal Palace raises his price. The Three Lions centre-back had an impressive 2023/24 season and capped it off with an outstanding performance at Euro 2024, where England reached the final. To be honest, he was one of the top players for Gareth Southgate’s side.

Reports in the media suggest Crystal Palace want £70m before they would let go of their most prized asset, but Newcastle ar trying to negotiate the asking price down by a few million. This has led to new twists in this ongoing transfer saga every couple of days.

The Eagles can afford to play hardball with the Magpies, as money isn’t a big problem for them this summer, having already bagged £50m from German Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich with the sale of English-born France international Michael Olise.

Strong reports are linking Marc Guehi to Liverpool, who are considering signing him and letting go of Joe Gomez and Sepp van den Berg, Gomez in particular has also been linked to Newcastle. As it stands, the Magpies should have an alternative to Guehi in mind, in case Palace stand firm on their asking price or Liverpool snatch him up.

That’s where Malick Thiaw of AC Milan comes in. The Magpies have already been linked to the German centre-back. The Shields Gazette reported that Eddie Howe showed interest in him about a month ago, but the interest cooled off with reports that he was considered a starter and thus not for sale. It’s time to resurrect that interest and get him. With Milan now signing Serbian defender Strahinja Pavlović from RB Salzburg, they might consider a good offer for Thiaw. He is so good that Milan don’t want to lose him, but let's be fair—they are now a selling club.

The Italian giants also need to make some sales to balance the books after generally splashing the cash. The defender they had wanted to sell, Pierre Kalulu, has rejected a move to rivals Juventus, and there aren’t any other suitors willing to sign him from Milan. The club are eager to make some sales. With any reasonable offer from Newcastle for Thiaw, the Rossoneri might consider cashing in to make some money.

Thiaw is talented. He broke into the Milan team as a 21-year-old and impressed when he was tasked to handle arguably the best striker in the world, Harry Kane, when Tottenham faced Milan in the knockout stage of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League season. He subsequently became a regular and earned a call-up to the German national team under Hansi Flick. If Eddie Howe gets him to St. James' Park, he wouldn’t just have a central defender, but a player who can step in at right back and central defensive midfield when needed—similar traits that have made Guehi such an asset at Palace.

In July, when Newcastle United were linked to a move for him, the rumoured price was €25m. Even if the Rossoneri increase the asking price, it will still be a reasonable amount that Newcastle can easily afford, and it will be much less than the £70m they’re being asked to pay in south London.