Report: Newcastle want ‘generational striker’ from Brazil in January who could cost just £22m

Newcastle United are once again looking to Brazil to bring a touch of flair to Eddie Howe's attack.

The Magpies have been routinely searching South America for the next young talent, but so far our efforts have been gazumped by other Premier League clubs. Andrey Santos was heavily linked to Newcastle but ended up at Chelsea, while Matheus Franca was also on Newcastle's radar but moved to Crystal Palace.

Now, though, a report from uol in Brazil has suggested that the club has already made its move for 'generational striker' Marcos Leonardo from Santos.

Leonardo is already being likened to Neymar and has 21 goals in 42 games in 2023, so he definitely knows where the net is.

Leonardo has the tricks and is an excellent finisher

He's got a bagful of tricks to go along with his goalscoring abilities and could restore some of the magic we've been missing since Allan Saint-Maximin was sold:

Santos are believed to want around £22 million for the 20-year-old which, given his goals-per-game ratio, could prove to be an absolute bargain.

Leonardo apparently has aspirations of playing in Europe and would likely go for a move to the Premier League, but there will no doubt be competition for his signature in England and abroad.

Fingers crossed we can see off the competition on this one

Manchester United, West Ham, and Roma have all been linked with Leonardo recently, but it's Newcastle who have initiated the first contact for the striker.

Hopefully, this one comes off. Eddie Howe is desperate for a new striker to back up Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak, and after seeing so many hot prospects slip through our fingers lately, it's about time we won a transfer race.

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Bruno Giumarães and Joelinton can hopefully have a word with Leonardo to convince him it will be the right move for him (and his family).