Newcastle United are the primary Premier League club involved in the transfer race for Werder Bremen centre-back Karim Coulibaly, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Newcastle’s chief executive David Hopkinson confirmed this week the club will have money to spend during the summer transfer window, but admitted they may have to cash in on a big name to do so.
However, the Magpies CEO was very clear that any sales, such as the heavily exit-linked Sandro Tonali, will only happen on their terms, and there will be no repeat of the Alexander Isak situation.
“We haven’t got an overall strategy with regard to players out, necessarily,” he said.
“We think through what players might or might not want to do this summer. But if an Isak-like scenario presents itself again, any player under contract is going to leave on our terms and we’re going to maximise the opportunity that might represent for the club.
“Going forward, our strategy is to buy well and sell well. Buying well does not necessarily mean spending the most money. It means working in the marketplace for the players that generate the most value for this club rather than the fee paid for them.
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The Magpies will not have a repeat of the Alexander Isak situation.
“So there are a multitude of things we need to employ, including developing our own, looking for opportunities in the marketplace and making sure we are maximising our opportunity within the available price we can produce.”
And with plenty of change expected on Tyneside this summer, Romano has shed light on who could be the first target on their shortlist.
Fabrizio Romano: Newcastle interested in German defender Karim Coulibaly
The reporter claims there is a “big race” already emerging to sign the 18 year-old defender this summer, who himself is open to the move despite being under contract until 2029.
Newcastle are leading the pack as the only team he specifically names as “involved”, but with several more clubs around Europe also very keen, while other reports have claimed Real Madrid are amongst the interested parties in a deal that could cost €50m (£44m).
A Germany youth international, Coulibaly is “prepared for a new chapter in the summer”, Romano explains.
Why Newcastle should sign Coulibaly
The Magpies’ summer 2025 spending very much focused on big fees for ready made first-team stars.
However, it’s fair to say only Malick Thiaw has really been a big success so far, and if PIF are serious about building the club into a true footballing superpower, they need to build for the future.
Coulibaly, at just 18 years old, is already thriving in an elite European league, playing 22 times for Bremen in the Bundesliga this season.
The teenager is surging through Germany’s youth teams, having played for the U-17, U-18, U-19 and U-21 sides already, so it is only a matter of time before his senior breakthrough, at which point his price will skyrocket.
With so many top European clubs reportedly in the mix for his signature, getting a head start and offering the teenager minutes alongside another emerging star in Thiaw could hand Eddie Howe a top centre-back pairing for years to come.