Newcastle United are believed to be willing to splash out £26m on the signing of an "extremely agile" midfielder, according to a fresh transfer update.
Newcastle eyeing Sandro Tonali replacement
The Magpies had such high hopes going into the new season, with another top-four finish in the Premier League possible, not to mention the excitement of returning to the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
Injuries have hurt Newcastle badly, however, and one of the biggest setbacks that they have suffered is the 10-month ban handed to Sandro Tonali, who was found guilty of breaching betting rules, ruling him out for the rest of the season in the process.
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The absence of the Italian means that a replacement ideally needs to be brought in during the January transfer window, whether that be a loan signing or a permanent transfer.
A host of different players have been thrown into the hat as options for Newcastle, with Kalvin Phillips emerging as a strong contender to move to St James' Park, having fallen out of favour at Manchester City and rarely managing to be a key man under Pep Guardiola.
The England international isn't the only player to have been backed to complete a move there, however, with Ruben Neves another in the mix to sign for the Magpies. Now, another contender has emerged following a new update from abroad.
Newcastle could pay £26m for Fabian Ruiz
According to a fresh transfer report from Tutto Juve, Newcastle are interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Fabian Ruiz, with the Magpies willing to pay £26m for his services.
A move in January is mooted, with PSG potentially happy to part ways with the Spain international, who hasn't always managed to be an important player for the Ligue 1 giants this season.
In fact, the Newcastle transfer target has only started six league matches in total, so he could jump at the opportunity for more regular minutes elsewhere.
Ruiz could prove to be such an astute signing given the experience he possesses and his technical ability in the middle of the park, with Hoffenheim's Diadie Samassekou rating him incredibly highly as an opponent, once saying of him:
"It was incredibly difficult to defend against him because he is extremely agile and only ever needs two touches. I sometimes try to show my friends why it’s so hard to defend. I’ve played against a lot of good teams and players, but people will be talking a lot about Ruiz in the next few years."
Meanwhile, former manager Quique Setien has noted how Fabian Ruiz has "developed immensely" over the last few years.
In truth, £26m seems like a reasonable amount for a player who has represented two European giants in Napoli and PSG, not to mention winning 21 caps for a Spain squad littered with elite players all over the pitch. He is at a great age to come in and hit the ground running, too, and there is no reason why he can't remain at his peak for another four or five years.
Granted, Tonali's return could then leave lots of top midfielders battling for playing time at Newcastle next year, but great depth is essential for Eddie Howe moving forward, so it shouldn't be seen as a bad thing, even though keeping everyone happy wouldn't be easy.