Newcastle United are leading the way in the hunt for Udinese and Ivory Coast midfielder Seko Fofana this summer, according to Calcio Mercato.
The Italian news outlet claim on their website that the Magpies are the only club who have shown concrete interest in securing his capture, Udinese rating him at £13.3million, with Sevilla having scouted the 24-year-old central talent.
It is stated that AC Milan hold a small interest in the one-cap midfielder but that it is Rafael Benitez’s side who are leading the hunt for Fofana, who made 32 appearances for his club last season, all but one of those coming in Italy’s top flight.
Good move for Newcastle?
The Magpies could well be looking for some midfield recruits this summer, with the futures of Isaac Hayden, Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame, whose contract is set to come to an end this month, all up in the air.
Hayden still wants a move further south and Shelvey is unlikely to be too happy with his playing time, leaving just Sean Longstaff and Ki Sung-yeung as the options to Benitez.
Fofana is an experienced operator in Italy with 80 top flight appearances while he also has game time in England, having been with Manchester City’s under-23 side and playing in the Championship with Fulham.
Whether he has what it takes to perform in the Premier League is only something that can be decided when he has played but he certainly fits the bill of what Newcastle need.
This is Futbol rating: 7/10
Likely to happen?
Newcastle might be at the front of the queue at the moment but that means very little.
The Magpies need to get Benitez tied down and any potential takeover deal sorted out before any new signings can be made, by which point Fofana might have been snapped up.
This is Futbol rating: 4/10