Udinese midfielder Arthur Atta has recently emerged as a target for Newcastle United, according to reports in Italy.
Newcastle will be looking to bolster its midfield over the summer. Former Arsenal man Joe Willock is up for sale as the Magpies aim to overhaul the squad ahead of the new season.
Should Willock leave St James' Park, that will be another hole in the squad that needs plugging, and it looks as though Newcastle has its eye on French midfielder Arthur Atta to do just that.
Reports in Italy continue to link Newcastle with the Udinese midfielder, who is also attracting interest from a couple of Premier League rivals.
Newcastle have spoken to Udinese over Atta
Last week, the interest was reported by Il Messaggero Veneto, and now, Il Mattino (via Sport Witness) has claimed that things have progressed.
The Italian publication claims that Newcastle have made contact with Udinese over Atta, who the Serie A side values at €40 million (£34.6m).
There's a strong belief that the 23-year-old will be on the move in the summer, which could give Newcastle a bit of power to knock a few million Euros off the asking price.
We're still not wholly convinced
We've still got the salt on hand for this one. While things are certainly picking up and different publications are reporting on it, it's all still coming from the Italian side.
Italian media absolutely loves using Newcastle as the boogeyman to scare other clubs into action and make a move for players they're just watching.
Atta does look decent, and nine goal contributions in Serie A last season isn't to be sniffed at, but until the story gathers pace on these shores, we'll keep our expectations low.
Rumour Rating: 510 - We've bumped it up a couple of points. We still need more convincing, but we're warming up.