Inter are readying a contract offer for France international Marcus Thuram as they look to persuade him to move to Serie A in 2023, 90min understands.
Thuram's deal is up at the end of the season and he has already confirmed to his club Borussia Monchengladbach that he will not be signing a new contract.
Gladbach had a similar situation in January 2022 when they sold star midfielder Denis Zakaria rather than let his deal run down, and while they would like to sell Thuram, Inter don't want to pay a transfer fee for him.
Inter have prepared a pre-contract offer, and sources have confirmed to 90min that a move to Italy does appeal to him.
Thuram was born in Italy during his father Lilian's decade-long stint in Serie A with Parma and Juventus.
Indeed, Juventus are another side interested in Marcus, as are Inter's city rivals Milan.
But Premier League interest could be the biggest threat to Inter. Arsenal, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester United have all spoken with Thuram's representatives, but the most concrete interest is emerging from Newcastle.
Current French star Allan Saint-Maximin has recommended Thuram to Newcastle, admitting: "He is a great player and I hope we have a chance to take him here. Yeah, I will be honest, I have chatted with him."
Manager Eddie Howe has confirmed that Thuram is on his radar and thanked Saint-Maximin for putting in a good word.
"Well done, Maxi! He [Thuram] is a top player. But yeah, no more than that," Howe said.
"He’s one that I watched in the World Cup for sure but no more than that."
Newcastle, unlike Inter, would like Thuram to join them in January and with Gladbach asking just £10m, he more than fits into the Magpies' budget as they also hope to bring in a midfielder and a right-back this window.
90min understands that Newcastle are ready to try and tempt Thuram to join them in the New Year and will make an offer if the player shows a desire to make the move. So far, talks with Thuram's representatives have been positive and Howe believes he would be a good fit to the club's current squad.
Source : 90min