An update has emerged on Croatian international Marcelo Brozovic, regarding Newcastle's interest in his services.

What's the talk?

According to the Irish Sun, the Magpies have identified the Inter midfielder as a target for next summer's transfer window.

The report claims contact has already been made with his representatives, as the club will be able to sign him on a pre-contract deal in January unless he puts pen to paper on fresh terms with the Italian giants.

Fans would love it

PIF must ensure that they are able to get a deal over the line for the midfielder in the January window. The fans would love it if the club could strike a pre-contract agreement with Brozovic as it would leave them with the exciting prospect of watching one of the most technically gifted midfielders play for them next season.

He could be a terrific signing for the Magpies and provide a step-up in quality to the squad. In the Serie A this season, he has averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.09 in 11 starts, completing an impressive 92.6% of his passes.

With that in mind, it's hardly a surprise to hear him described as "special" by teammate Matias Vecino.

At Newcastle, meanwhile, Sean Longstaff has been anything but special. Although, he has been the 'best' performing midfielder with an average WhoScored rating of 6.53, completing 82.2% of his passes. This suggests that Brozovic would be a sizeable upgrade on what the club currently has, assuming he can translate his form in Italy over to the Premier League.

Former Inter coach Luciano Spalletti previously hailed the midfielder's versatility and quality. He said:

"Marcelo has great quality and the characteristics to play as a trequartista on the shoulders of a centre-forward.

"I am fortunate to have different players who can occupy that role and I'm rotating them. I don't see a problem with that.

"It is certainly an option [to play a second striker]. We might be able to score some more goals but I always need to judge what the best balance for the team is."

It is no surprise to see such high praise for the Croatian, as he has maintained an impressive level of performance throughout his career. He has an average career WhoScored rating of 7.01 across 284 matches for club and country, including games in the Serie A, World Cup, Europa League and Champions League.

This shows that the £36m-rated gem has been able to perform at the very highest level for club and country and remain consistent in doing so. Therefore, the fans would love to see him playing in black and white as he has proven himself to be a top midfielder for Inter and Croatia, suggesting that he could have a huge impact on the Newcastle squad if he joins on a free transfer next summer and that is why PIF must get this deal done.

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