Manchester United must equal a transfer world record they already hold if they’re to bring a Newcastle ace to Old Trafford, and it’s probably not who you’d expect.

When talk of ‘big six’ clubs raiding Newcastle whips up, the usual suspects of Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon come to mind. Some might even think of Tino Livramento, who has quietly developed into one of the Premier League’s leading full-backs.

But according toBILDchief, Christian Falk, the Newcastleace coming under consideration at Man Utdis actually Malick Thiaw.

When debunking claims Bayern Munich could move for the 24-year-old centre-back, Falk stressed it’s Man Utd who could be the ones to test Newcastle’s resolvein the summer.

He explained: “I heard that Manchester United, however, do have their eye on the centre-back, so perhaps this is the more interesting transfer story at the moment!”

Newcastle put up one hell of a fight when attempting to retain Alexander Isak last year. But when all was said and done, the talismanic frontman did move on to bigger and better things.

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Of course, a colossal ￡125m transfer fee was banked, and per the latest from The Telegraph, the Magpies will ensure they receive a jaw-dropping sum if reluctantly cashing in on Thiaw too.

The report acknowledged Man Utd’s interest in Thiaw before insisting Newcastle’s ‘likely asking price’ is a hefty ￡80m.

A transfer on that scale would see the former AC Milan defender become the joint-most expensive centre-back of all time, matching the ￡80m Man Utd paid to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester City back in 2018.

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Interestingly, The Telegraph– who stressed Newcastle don’t want to sell – hinted Thiaw would be viewed as Man Utd’s successor to Harry Maguire, though our sources over at TEAMtalk have been reliably informed Maguire is primed to sign a contract extension.

The veteran centre-back turns 33 next month and is out of contract in the summer, but remains a key cog in United’s backline.

The Red Devils want Maguire to take a pay-cut and may only offer a short-term deal – perhaps just one season. But such is Maguire’s desire to stay that he’s prepared to make those sacrifices.

Of course, Thiaw could still arrive even if Maguire stays, with Man Utd getting their eventual successor on board nice and early.

Whether they’d be prepared to drop ￡80m on Thiaw remains to be seen. Nevertheless, huge sums for a whole host of new signings will be available and the fact United are binning off five big-earners signed for a combined ￡312.9min the summer will only aid their cause.

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