Report: Newcastle now told they must pay £42.5m to land Europa League winning 'Doberman'

With a budget limited by Profit and Sustainability Rules, Newcastle United need to be clever when shopping around in the summer transfer market.

Eddie Howe has a list of positions that need strengthening and one particular role that still needs to be filled, that being a proper number six or a number four depending on how you view it ... a defensive midfielder is what I'm getting at.

The Magpies have a target in mind and have been tracking him since before the January window. In fact, they had a €40million (£34million) bid rejected in January.

Newcastle haven't given up and Atalanta's Ederson still remains a priority target, but after winning the Europa League, the task of luring the Brazilian away may have just got a bit trickier.

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Gasperini likened Ederson to a Doberman

One positive is that, according to TuttoAtalanta in Italy, The Nerazzurri do have a price in mind should Newcastle come knocking again.

It's believed that if the Magpies add a further €10million (£8.5million) to their original offer, that could get things moving in the right direction with Atalanta aware that they could lose two of their best players in Ederson and Teun Koopmeiners.

Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini recently compared Ederson to a Doberman when speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport (via SportWitness) when asked if he always knew he'd be a strong defensive midfielder.

“I thought he was an attacking midfielder and in fact he started last season in that role, like at Salernitana. Then I realised his monstrous effectiveness in recoveries: he’s a Doberman. If you run away, he’ll come and get you.”

£42.5m still seems like a bargain for the 24-year-old

In all honesty, £42.5million still seems like a bargain for the Brazilian international. He dominated in the Europa League final, and Newcastle have had him under watch for a while now.

If Eddie Howe is that big of a fan, then an extra £8.5million for a player of that quality shouldn't be too much of a big deal, especially when you factor in that he'll be part of a midfield trio including Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton. Not to forget Sandro Tonali too.

How is this not a great idea? Honestly. Just pay up and bring him to Newcastle.