Newcastle United are reportedly in the picture to secure a transfer deal for Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos during the upcoming summer window.
They Tyneside club currently have the fifth-oldest squad in the Premier League with an average age of 27.2.
With the summer transfer window approaching, it has been claimed that the Toon are looking at a player who would not only bring that average down but also give them an exciting addition to Eddie Howe’s squad.
According to a recent report from Portuguese media outlet O Jogo (via Sport Witness), Newcastle and Southampton are interested in signing Ramos, but face competition from the likes of Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.
The report also adds that while the striker’s current contract isn’t set to expire until the summer of 2025 and has a release clause of €120m (£105m), the Portuguese club are aiming to renew his deal.
Having worked his way through the youth ranks at Benfica, the 21-year-old, who has been described as a “powerful” player by journalist Josh Bunting, has gone on to make 94 senior appearances for the Portuguese club, scoring 37 goals and delivering 13 assists along the way.
The youngster has even shown his attacking talent on the international stage, most recently by scoring a hat-trick in Portugal’s 6-1 victory over Switzerland at the Qatar World Cup.
This season has seen Ramos find the net 15 times in 20 appearances in the Portuguese league, earning himself an overall performance rating of 7.38/10 from WhoScored, making him the sixth-highest rated player in the division.
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In fact, to further highlight his attacking presence and why he’d be an exciting signing for the Magpies, he has the second-highest average of shots per game (3.4) in the league this season.
Even though Newcastle currently have the likes of Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson as their two main strikers, the latter is set to enter the final year of his contract this summer, which suggests that if the 31-year-old were to leave the club at that point, Ramos could be an ideal long-term replacement for him.