The phenomenal Colombian ace has nine goals and 13 assists in 25 games this season and is likely to have a medical with Newcastle before the start of the season in January.
Newcastle United are struggling in the striker department right now, with Eddie Howe boasting just one fully fit centre forward.
That is because Alexander Isak is out injured after suffering a groin problem during the Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund. While it is not a major injury, it looks like it is bad enough to keep him out until the next international break later this month.
That leaves Newcastle with just one striker – Callum Wilson. The 31-year-old will be leading the line over the next few weeks, as he looks to cement himself as the club’s top scorer this season. He is currently joint top with Isak, with both Toon strikers on seven goals so far.
But when it comes to Wilson, he has his own fitness issues. The number nine has had a lot of injuries during his career, and has already missed games this season.
It is a delicate situation right now, as Newcastle need Wilson to play every game, but they also know they need to protect him because he is the only striker they have got.
That could force the Magpies to be active when the January transfer window opens, and it sounds like the club have identified an exciting target from South America.
Newcastle interested in Marcos Leonardo from Santos
According to UOL, Newcastle have initiated contact with Brazilian club Santos about signing 20-year-old striker Marcos Leonardo.
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The youngster has 21 goals to his name this season, and is attracting a lot of interest from clubs in Europe. Santos are hoping to receive a decent fee, valuing Leonardo between £17.5million and £22million.
Newcastle’s interest is backed up by Premier League Brasil, who claim that the Magpies are in ‘informal’ talks with Santos, but are yet to make an official offer.
Having scored so many goals, it is no surprise that Leonardo has been described as a ‘really good finisher‘, and that is why he must be so appealing to the Magpies.
Signing a player like Leonardo would be with an eye to the future, and he is of an age where he can learn and develop working alongside Wilson before eventually taking his place.
It would be a smart signing by Newcastle, but it will not be easy. Dan Ashworth has looked into signing various Brazilian youngsters over the past year, but continuously misses out – usually to Chelsea. They have signed Angelo Gabriel and Andrey Santos, two players who Newcastle were really keen on.
