Newcastle United are one of the sides that have sent scouts to watch the Lille midfielder Carlos Baleba ahead of the summer transfer window.

Who is Carlos Baleba?

The 19-year-old midfielder has now been playing his football with Lille for just over a year, having made the move from his homeland, Cameroon.

Baleba quickly made the leap from the youth side to Paulo Fonseca's senior team and has made 12 appearances in Ligue 1 this season.

Only three of those appearances have come from the starting XI. However, it has become apparent he has earned the trust of Fonseca.

And speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast, journalist Toby Cudworth has suggested a number of Premier League clubs are looking at the midfielder, Newcastle being one of them:

"It's our understanding that a number of Premier League clubs are already looking at him. Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle among those who have watched him.

"And Serie A champions, AC Milan, actually made a bid for him in January that was knocked back. So he's got plenty of clubs looking at him."

Who else is interested in signing Baleba?

Despite the Toon holding an interest, it seems as if they could have a fierce challenge on their hands if they are to persuade the Cameroon midfielder to Tyneside.

As noted by Bailey, the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have all been monitoring the youngster ahead of the summer window.

This will naturally provide the Magpies with a challenge with all three of the clubs providing the Cameroon ace with some huge names to choose from.

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On top of the interest coming from England, it is believed Baleba was the subject of interest in the recent January window with Lille turning down an approach from AC Milan.

With interest from across Europe, it certainly seems as if Newcastle have a big task on their hands if they are to land the Cameroonian in the summer.

However, they have recently been able to bring in young prospects with the likes of Garang Kuol who made the move to Tyneside earlier in the season.

What would be interesting to see is what role Baleba could potentially play in the Newcastle squad under Eddie Howe.

It is believed the Magpies are looking to add to their midfield in the summer transfer window and Baleba has made an impression already in Ligue 1.

But whether Newcastle would look to offload him on loan to continue his development would have to be considered with the likes of Joelinton, Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock likely ahead of him in the pecking order.