Newcastle United could be close to making their first signing of the summer, and their first under Rafael Benitez, as the club reportedly hold advanced talks over a move for striker José Naranjo.
Naranjo, who currently plays for Gimnàstic de Tarragona, scored 15 times last season to help his side finish third in the Spanish Segunda Division.
Aston Villa and Real Betis are also interested in the young Spaniard, but The Daily Mail report that Newcastle are leading the chase for Naranjo, and have already held talks over a move.
The Evening Chronicle have also reported that there is definite interest from Newcastle to pursue a deal.
However, they also report that Naranjo would be signed initially as a back-up player, and that the club will still look to bring in another striker to help fire Newcastle United out of the Championship next season.
The 21-year-old is said to have a £2.38m release clause in his contract, which would by no means break the bank, and Newcastle would be tempted to go back into the Spanish market after the successful signing of Ayoze Perez back in 2014.
Perez joined the Magpies from Tenerife for a fee of around £1.5m, and has scored 13 Premier League goals in his first two seasons at St. James’ Park.
The 22-year-old was also signed initially to be a squad player two years ago, but forced his way into the first team with three goals in his first three Premier League starts at the beginning of the 2014/15 season. Since then, Ayoze has been a key figure for Newcastle.
If a move for Naranjo does materialise, Newcastle fans will have no complaints if he makes a similar impact to his current Tyneside compatriot.
Elsewhere, it is understood that a move for OGC Nice forward Alexandre Mendy is no longer on the cards.
