Newcastle have reportedly made an ‘important offer’ for Inter Milan defender, Stefan De Vrij. The 30-year-old centre-back’s contract runs out at the end of the season, and the Magpies have reportedly made the first move for the Dutchman in an attempt to stave off interest from the likes of Tottenham and AC Milan.
Dazn Italia claimed Newcastle’s supposed contract offer on Twitter, saying: “De Vrij will say farewell to Inter at the end of the season. An important offer has been made by Newcastle and an agreement is close.
“In the past few days, there has also been interest from Tottenham.”
#DeVrij–#Inter verso l’addio a fine stagione. Il giocatore ha ricevuto un’offerta importante dal #Newcastle. Accordo vicino. Negli scorsi giorni c’è stato anche un sondaggio del #Tottenham e soprattutto del #Milan. No del difensore per rispetto dell’Inter.@DAZN_IT #DAZNMERCATO
— Orazio Accomando (@OAccomando91) January 22, 2023
De Vrij would provide competition for Fabian Schar as a right-sided centre-back, something that will be needed next season if Newcastle manage to grab a European place. Battling on many fronts next season will mean that Eddie Howe will be keen to add depth to his squad which currently looks a little threadbare.
Capped 53 times by the Netherlands, de Vrij began his career at Feyenoord before making the move to Serie A to join up with Lazio. In 2018 he made the move to Inter Milan for a reported €40 Million and has gone on to make 136 appearances scoring 8 goals for the Nerazzurri.
According to the transfer website, Transfermarkt, de Vrij is currently valued at €15 Million and earns a whopping £177,000 a week. It is hard to see Newcastle paying out that amount on a 30-year-old, so he is likely to have to take a pay cut to make the move to Tyneside.