Jacobs: 12-month mission to beat competition – the background on Thiaw’s Newcastle move

Malick Thiaw’s move to Newcastle United was finalised this week, but how did an exit from AC Milan come about this summer?

From the outside looking in, Thiaw’s move has been something discussed for a while now. However, Newcastle’s involvement did not start this summer. Last summer, the North East club made a move for Fikayo Tomori and the German, though it seemed they stuck with the latter for longer.

Then, this summer, with a move possible, they swooped in. The situation is not too difficult to really understand, and it is not the first case of a player being an extended interest for one club. However, Ben Jacobs (via MilanPosts) has looked into the deal in more detail.

Thiaw’s exit: The background

Newcastle will pay €35 million upfront for Thiaw, with a further €5m available in bonuses. However, this has been a move in the works for a while. According to the journalist, Andy Howe, who is the Gerodies’ assistant head of recruitment, had been in contact with Thiaw’s entourage for the past year.

Photo by AC Milan

Then, Howe flew to Italy twice this summer to negotiate a deal with Giorgio Furlani. Initially, there was a reluctance, but Thiaw pushed for the move this summer. It is also worth noting that Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester United were interested in the past 12 months.