Newcastle United have emerged as favourites to sign French teenager Mickael Nade.
According to reports on talkSPORT the St Etienne midfielder is likely to choose between Newcastle and RB Salzburg.
If Newcastle can ensure an automatic return to the Premier League it would almost certainly convince Nade to move to England rather than the Bundesliga side.
The 18-year-old has made a big impression coming through the ranks at St Etienne but has refused to sign a new deal to extend his stay.
St Etienne have virtually given up on talking Nade around leaving the door open for Newcastle to make their move for the player who has been compared to Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma.
Newcastle have a strong record of signing French based players but going for an 18-year-old that has still to make his debut is an ambitious new move and demonstrates the depth that the club’s scouting activities work to.