Report: Price revealed for 'homegrown' PL midfielder Newcastle have been tracking since January

If Newcastle United are to continue to challenge in European competitions they will need to ensure they have plenty of 'homegrown' talent on the books to satisfy UEFA rules.

The Premier League rules state that clubs must name at least eight homegrown players in their squad of 25 as well, so ensuring the club has plenty of talent from these shores is never a bad thing.

Newcastle were reportedly interested in one such talent in January and, according to the Daily Mail, could be planning a swoop in the summer. That player is Aston Villa's Jacob Ramsey.

Howe dismissed rumours of interest in Ramsey in January

Eddie Howe moved to rubbish the rumours linking Newcastle to Ramsey in January, and as we know, no first-team players were brought in during that transfer window, but Newcastle are expected to be very active in the close season and Ramsey could still be on Newcastle's radar.

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Aston Villa won't want to lose their best players, but with Ramsey being a product of their academy, any sale would be pure profit for Villa in terms of FFP/PSR rules and could therefore massively increase their transfer kitty.

Given that the Daily Mail report suggests that Villa will be able to demand £50million for Ramsey's services that would unlock massive spending potential for them.

We're not sure how Ramsey fits at Newcastle right now

If it is Newcastle who fork over the money then we'd be getting an exciting, versatile midfielder who can play right across the middle of the park, albeit he is more comfortable on the left or through the middle.

Ramsey managed six goals and seven assists last season in 35 Premier League appearances, but injuries have reduced his game time this season, however, he has successfully managed a full 90 minutes in each of his last three outings, so he's getting back to full fitness.

It all depends on where Jacob Ramsey would be deployed by Eddie Howe as to whether this would be a good signing. We already have Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes fighting for the left wing role, with Alexander Isak also highly adept at playing there, so he's not really needed to cover that position. We do need a central midfielder, but we need a defensive mid, something Ramsey is not. We're not convinced this one makes sense, but of course, it also depends on who is sold this summer.