Newcastle United are currently relishing in their club-record capture of Sweden international Alexander Isak, with the striker having enjoyed a promising start to life at St James' Park after arriving at the club late in the window.

There could well have been another high-profile centre-forward addition for Eddie Howe and co prior to that, however, with reports last winter suggesting that the Tynesiders had made a staggering €100m (£88m) bid to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina.

Despite that firm interest, the towering marksman ultimately sealed a move to fellow Serie A outfit Juventus, during the winter window, joining the Old Lady for a reported fee of around £66.6m amid interest from other Premier League clubs.

The 22-year-old had warranted such interest as a result of his sparkling form in Florence prior to that, having scored 49 goals in just 108 games for the club in all competitions, including 17 goals in just 21 league games at the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

While there have been frustrations since his move to Turin - with journalist Emmet Gates dubbing him a "Ferrari being driven like a Fiat" as a result of Max Allegri failing to get the best out of him - the 6 foot 3 machine has still delivered the goods, scoring 13 goals in just 29 games thus far.

That respectable tally includes a haul of four goals in just six league games so far this term, with the aforementioned Isak only registering two goals in his three top-flight outings to date for the northeast side.

A "generational talent" - in the words of Gates - Vlahovic appears a player destined for greatness in the years to come, with it seemingly a notable setback that Newcastle were unable to secure his services earlier this year.

The £224k-per-week man could potentially have been a better fit than that man Isak, having outperformed the Swede in certain metrics over the past year.

Vlahovic, for instance, ranks in the top 10% for non-penalty goals among those in his position across Europe's top five leagues, while the Magpies star ranks in just the bottom 30% for the same metric, potentially showcasing the latter man's reliance on his spot-kick prowess.

Equally, the Allianz Stadium starlet also ranks in the top 10% for progressive passes received - showcasing his ability to be in the right place for his teammates - while Isak ranks in just the top 37% for the same metric.

While Howe and co are likely delighted at having secured the services of their new addition, they may well have had an even better talent on their hands had the Serbian star made the switch instead in January.