Report from Germany suggests things could 'move quickly' for 20-year-old Newcastle target

Newcastle United have recently found their names in the frame for 20-year-old Mainz winger Brajan Gruda.

The German U21 international is one of the many names linked to Newcastle for that right-wing position with Miguel Almiron likely to depart this summer.

Brajan Gruda's name popped up recent and now it's believed by Bild in Germany (via Sport Witness) that 'things could get serious'' for the winger and 'could happen very quickly.'

Newcastle and Aston Villa were mentioned in the report as potential candidates for his signature.

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Brajan Gruda ticks a lot of boxes for Newcastle

Last season Gruda made 29 appearances for Mainz, scoring four goals and providing three assists while being deployed mostly as a central attacking midfielder, however, he did play several games on the right wing and a couple as a centre-forward.

It looks like he ticks the right boxes for Eddie Howe in terms of his age and his versatility but his goal contribution numbers could do with being a bit higher.

That becomes even more of an issue when you consider that it's believed that Mainz would demand €50million (£42million) for his services this summer.

At £42million we expect Newcastle to pass

Mainz director Christian Heidel has said it would take a 'truly exceptional offer' to get them to the negotiating table, and with Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart. looking to rival Newcastle and Aston Villa, he may get his wish via an intense bidding war.

At £42million though, we don't see Newcastle making a move on this one as he's another unproven entity and a risk we can't afford to take just yet.

Plus with that raft of top German clubs chasing him, it's highly likely he'd choose to stay in his home country for now.