An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their pursuit of Christian Eriksen in the summer transfer window... 

What's the talk?

According to The Times, the Magpies are one of the teams in the running to land the Denmark international on a free transfer.

The report claims that they have made a contract offer to him, alongside other Premier League sides, as they enter talks to convince him to join Eddie Howe's squad.

Eriksen is said to be weighing up his options after spending the second half of the 2021/22 campaign on loan at Brentford.

Eddie Howe needs him

The Toon head coach needs the midfielder at St. James' Park next season as he would provide some much-needed creativity in the side.

Outside of Matt Ritchie (1.6), no Newcastle player created 1.5 chances or more per game in the Premier League last season. Bruno Guimaraes came in and hit the ground running with five goals in the top-flight but he was not a consistent creator as he managed 0.7 key passes per match.

Allan Saint-Maximin (1.4) was the only non-full-back to create more than 0.9 chances per game and Joelinton's 0.8 per match was the creme of the crop in central midfield.

These statistics suggest that the club lack a player capable of consistently delivering killer passes in the final third to create chances and goals.

In Eriksen, Newcastle can find the creative wizard that they need. Thomas Frank claimed earlier this year that the gem is "world-class" and his former teammate Dele Alli described him as a "magician on the ball".

The 30-year-old, who has scored 153 senior goals for club and country, showcased his magical quality for Brentford in the Premier League last season.

He averaged a sensational SofaScore rating of 7.54 in 11 outings for the Bees as he scored one goal and provided four assists. The gem created a whopping 2.8 chances per game and five big chances in total as he showed that he still has what it takes to be a star in the English top-flight.

This means that he created twice as many chances per match as Newcastle's top creator from midfield - Saint-Maximin - and would, therefore, be a terrific signing to bolster the team.

Hopefully, the Magpies are able to do enough to convince him that a move to Tyneside is the best one for him to make ahead of next season.

AND in other news: "Newcastle are willing..": Keith Downie drops huge claim that'll frustrate supporters...