Newcastle United have identified Atalanta right-back Marco Palestra as a leading summer target as the club looks to reshape the position after Kieran Trippier’s exit.
The Magpies are short of options on the right side of the defensive line, with Trippier leaving on a free transfer and Emil Krafth also departing. Tino Livramento remains at the club, but his future has attracted interest from several major sides, including Man City, and it’s unclear whether or not he’d be sold.
“Newcastle United have
identified Atalanta right-back Marco Palestra as a prime summer target but face growing competition,” Daily Mail’s Simon Jones reported.
Palestra spent the season on loan at Cagliari and impressed enough to draw interest across Europe. Atalanta are now said to be open to a sale.
“The 21-year-old has just come off an impressive season on loan at Serie A rivals Cagliari but Atalanta have been inundated with enquiries and look willing to cash in on the Italy international,” Jones reported.
Newcastle’s search is tied to both current departures and possible future movement, including Livramento’s likely exit.
“Newcastle are anticipating interest in Tino Livramento this window, so have been working on finding potential replacements,” Jones wrote.
Competition for Palestra could make the deal difficult for the Magpies, however, as the club has yet to make the proper jump into Europe’s top-tier. Jones reported that Manchester City, Arsenal and Inter Milan have all asked about Palestra, while Liverpool have also been linked, and it’s obvious any of those clubs would represent a more appealing jump to an up-and-coming player than Newcastle.
The Magpies’ failure to clinch a spot in any European competition, let alone making it back to the Champions League, will surely complicate their pitch to Palestra, though that seemingly has not been enough for NUFC to remove the player entirely from their list of transfer targets.
