Newcastle United have reportedly opened talks with Santos to discuss the availability of striker Marcos Leonardo.
The 20-year-old has established himself as one of the brightest prospects in Brazil over the last few years since making his professional for Santos in 2020.
Leonardo has scored 54 goals and registered 11 assists in 161 appearances for the Brasileiro giants across all competitions, and he has particularly excelled in front of goal in 2023, netting 21 times in 42 games.
The Brazil Under-23 international was heavily linked with a transfer away from Santos in the summer, with Serie A duo Lazio and Roma understood to have held advanced talks with the striker, but a switch to Italy ultimately failed to materialise.
Manchester United were also credited with an interest in Leonardo, while Brentford have allegedly identified the striker as a possible replacement for Ivan Toney.
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Now, Brazilian news outlet UOL claims that Newcastle are the latest club to express their interest in Leonardo and have already begun negotiations with Santos over a potential deal for the striker.
The report adds that the Magpies are working behind the scenes to determine whether they can recruit the youngster in the January transfer window.
Santos are said to be aware of interest in Leonardo and value their star striker between €20m (£17.4m) and €25m (£21.7m).
Leonardo is under contract at Santos until December 2026 and the Brazilian club would presumably like to keep hold of their No.9 after parting ways with a couple of other highly-rated youngsters earlier this year.
Indeed, Santos recouped a combined fee in the region of £30m from the sales of attacking duo Deivid Washington and Angelo Gabriel to Chelsea in the summer.
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However, Leonardo may consider a January exit from Santos if they fail to avoid relegation from the Brazilian top flight – the Peixe are experiencing a difficult 2023 campaign and sit just two points above the drop zone with eight league games remaining.
A potential move for Leonardo to Newcastle would likely see him battle with Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson for starts as a centre-forward.
Manager Eddie Howe is believed to be keen to bolster his squad in the New Year having been forced to work with a relatively small squad in recent weeks due to the injuries of a few key players including attacking trio Isak, Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes.
The 10-month suspension handed to Sandro Tonali for breaching betting rules could also see Newcastle delve into the January market for a new midfielder, with Al-Hilal's Ruben Neves believed to be high on their list of targets.
Oliver Thomas
