Newcastle United now 'at forefront' of transfer race for defender who rejected move in Summer

Before Newcastle United fritted away the summer chasing one player for weeks on end in the form of Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, there were other defenders reportedly approached by the Magpies.

There were reports suggesting that Newcastle were close to landing AC Milan centre-back Malick Thiaw but in hindsight it seems like Thiaw was the smokescreen while Newcastle closed in on Guehi - if only it were the other way around.

However, even before the Thiaw rumours picked up pace, Newcastle were linked with his teammate, Fikayo Tomori.

Soon after, though, quotes came out that Tomori had essentially said he'd reject a move back to England with Newcastle, seeing it as a step back in his career.

Getty Images

Fikayo Tomori appears to have fallen out of favour at AC Milan

Calciomercato in Italy are now claiming that AC Milan could be looking to offload the former Chelsea man after claiming he is 'unable to perform as expected'.

Tomori has made just eight league appearances this season, including six starts. He was limited to 11 minutes in last six league games and was an unused substitute on four occasions.

Juventus and Newcastle are the two clubs named by the report as the frontrunners for Tomori's signature with Newcastle reportedly 'at the forefront'.

However, whether Tomori's ego has taken a sufficient enough of a beating that it allows him to move to a 'lesser' club such as Newcastle remains to be seen.

Tomori could be a quality addition to Newcastle's squad

If Newcastle were somehow able to pull off this coup, we're sure his words won't be soon forgotten and the England star will have to earn the respect of the Toon Army.

That being said, we know he's a quality defender so it shouldn't take him long to do that, and we certainly have no objections to us signing him, despite those comments.

There's no indication as to what Milan would demand for Tomori's services, but as he has a contract until 2027, he's unlikely to be a bargain regardless of his current standing in the squad.