Newcastle United have given up their attempts to sign Man Utd target Marcus Thuram from Borussia Monchengladbach in January, according to reports.
Thuram is into the final six months of his contract with Borussia Monchengladbach, who are willing to sell him this month rather than losing him for free in the summer. His situation has led to links with both Newcastle and Man Utd.
In December, a deal for Newcastle to sign Thuram was described as “close” by sources in Germany.
His French compatriot Allan Saint-Maximin, obviously already at Newcastle, then went on to relay his own excitement at the chance of linking up with Thuram at St. James’ Park.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe went on to jokingly thank Saint-Maximin, before describing Thuram as a “top player” that he watched at the World Cup.
However, Howe said there was nothing more to it than that. Now, it is being claimed that Newcastle are dropping out of the race for Thuram entirely.
According to Football Insider, despite registering their interest, Newcastle have decided against going for Thuram in January.
Instead, Howe will be focusing on other priorities. The source claims Newcastle are more likely to look at Chelsea winger, Christian Pulisic, or Leicester attacking midfielder, James Maddison.
They do need to think about attacking reinforcements after injury issues for Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson. However, it seems they are looking more at supporting options rather than out-and-out centre-forwards.
In fairness, Thuram is a versatile player too, sharing his time between the wing and a more central attacking position. But it appears Newcastle have other objectives.
The update could be good news for Man Utd, who have also been looking at the 25-year-old recently. They are seeking attacking cover after letting go of Cristiano Ronaldo following his controversial interview with Piers Morgan in November.
Funds may be tight at Old Trafford this month, so they are having to get creative. However, Thuram’s contract status means he should be available for a bargain fee.
Newcastle being realistic despite Marcus Thuram temptation
The report from Football Insider relays claims that Borussia Monchengladbach might accept a fee as low as £6million for him.
Thuram has scored 41 goals in 119 appearances for the German club to date, also adding 26 assists.
His time with them could be coming to an end, though, with a new venture beckoning in the Premier League. It now looks much more likely to be in Manchester than Newcastle, though.
The Magpies’ stance on how to improve their attack is understandable. They spent heavily on Isak in the summer, so will be hoping to make the most of him.
Hence, they are aiming to add creative talents to help make the chances for him, Wilson or Chris Wood up front.
It could add an extra element to their squad, although as stated, Thuram would have been capable of playing off a main man himself.
Reports have suggested his preference is to join Man Utd anyway, though. With that in mind, perhaps this is simply a case of Newcastle not wasting their time.
A club with their financial backing should have plenty of targets to consider in the transfer market. Hence, with Thuram not fully in favour of joining them, it is reasonable for them to start looking elsewhere.
Pulisic or Maddison might be more expensive, but that doesn’t have to be Newcastle’s main concern these days. If they are more like what Howe needs, the club should be exploring the next steps for them, rather than targets who would prefer to play for different clubs.
