Newcastle United reportedly stepping up interest in 'extraordinary' Premier League forward

Eddie Howe is no doubt acutely aware that his Newcastle United side lacks reliable firepower if Alexander Isak is unavailable, and along with strengthening the right-hand side of his attack, another centre-forward has to be seen as a priority signing this summer.

Regardless of what happens with Callum Wilson, Newcastle definitely needs another top-quality option for instances when Alexander Isak is unavailable, whether that be through injury, suspension or just common sense of giving the man a rest after carrying the team.

Our hopes are still, foolishly, pinned on the Magpies being able to convince Jonathan David to join the club in the summer as the Canadian striker is set to leave Lille.

It's not just the fact that Jonathan David is a phenomenal striker but also that he wouldn't cost the club a transfer fee, keeping plenty of funds available for other purchases.

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Newcastle face competition from Arsenal, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest for Matheus Cunha

However, we are also very aware of how difficult that task is going to be, so it of course makes sense that the club has other options on the table.

One of which is Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha with whom Newcastle have a long-standing interest.

TeamTalk are now reporting that Newcastle are set to join Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the race for the 25-year-old Brazilian forward.

Matheus Cunha was valued at £63 million by Wolves last summer

Dubbed 'extraordinary' by former Inter Milan player Paolo Tramezzani, Cunha has been of interest to Newcastle since before his move to Wolves, but after starring for the MIdlands side this season, he is now attracting a lot of interest from Champions League sides.

Arsenal have also been said to be keen on Cunha, with a price tag of £63 million being mentioned. If Newcastle were to pay that for Cunha, that would put him alongside Alexander Isak as the club's most expensive signing. Considering that was reportedly Wolves' valuation of Cunha last summer and the season he's having now, we expect that figure has risen dramatically.

While we are expecting a busy summer for Newcastle, we're not expecting the club to break their transfer record again, so that could rule out a move for Cunha unless there's some wiggle room in that valuation.