Newcastle United now interested in German U21 attacking midfield star

Progress on Newcastle United making any first-team additions is still pretty slow despite reports of a bid having been made to Nottingham Forest for Anthony Elanga on Tuesday.

Fortunately, the recruitment team in charge of finding young players to bring into the club are not slacking off with links to players popping up regularly.

The Magpies are reportedly set to sign South Korean wonderkid Seung-soo Park and are also looking at Valencia's Spain U21 international Cesar Tarrega, although he is now 23 and probably closer to being a first-team signing than an academy one.

Now, another report has suggested that Newcastle have set their sights on Germany to find new blood, with another player on the cusp of first-team action catching their eye.

Newcastle are keen on Freiburg's Merlin Röhl

According to BILD in Germany (via NUFC Blog), Newcastle are one of four Premier League clubs looking at Freiburg's Germany U21 international Merlin Röhl.

The central midfielder made 19 appearances for Freiburg in the Bundesliga last season, contributing one assist along the way. Whether Newcastle are looking at Röhl for the first team or the academy, we aren't sure, but given that he is 22 and already playing in Freiburg's first team, we'd suspect he'd be expected to do the same for Newcastle.

He's currently on international duty with Germany U21S and will be in action in tonight's semi-final against France after scoring in the quarter-final win over Italy.

Merlin Rohl is a versatile midfielder who could be a replacement for Joe Willock

While a central midfielder isn't a top priority for Eddie Howe this summer, a young, hungry player with versatility who could be available for a low cost would be too good to pass up.

Merlin Röhl prefers to play in the number 10 role; he's also adept as a regular centre-mid and even as a second striker, making him a potential replacement for Joe Willock or Sean Longstaff.

There's no indication of what Röhl could cost the Magpies this summer, but a young player from Freiburg shouldn't break the bank, so it could be a possible move we see happen.