Newcastle United have made an enquiry for Inter Milan striker Pio Esposito, according to reports in the Italian media.
Newspaper Il Messaggero claim that the Magpies, Atalanta and Napoli have all had approaches rejected by Inter this summer.
Napoli’s interest is said to have been the most serious, with the Serie A champions having had a €45m (£39m) bid turned down for Esposito.
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The 20-year-old is in high demand after an impressive spell out on loan at Serie B outfit Spezia last season.
Esposito scored 19 goals in all competitions before returning to Nerazzurri ahead of the Club World Cup. He also turned heads with his performances in the United States, scoring 1 goal and providing 1 assist during his 2 appearances at the tournament. He missed the round of 16 defeat to Fluminense due to injury.
Where does this leave Newcastle’s search for a new striker?
Having missed out on Esposito and Benjamin Sesko, it looks like Eddie Howe’s side are now focused on recruiting only one forward – Yoane Wissa.
The Magpies returned to the negotiating table earlier this week, but their new offer, worth £35m upfront and £5m in add-ons, was rejected. The proposal is said to be considerably below Brentford’s valuation.
What is the latest on Isak?
Following the Swede’s first public statement expressing his desire to leave St James’ Park, the club immediately responded by making it clear that the striker won’t be sold unless certain “conditions” are met.
It is apparent that the club want a replacement brought in before sanctioning his sale to Liverpool, but as things stand, there is very little chance of that happening.
There have been links to the likes of Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, as well as Wolves’ Jorgen Strand Larsen and Paris Saint-Germain’s Goncalo Ramos, but none of these deals look realistic with so little time remaining in the transfer window.
Read our exclusive interview with Stuart Pearce as he names who he thinks would be a “great replacement” for Isak