A big update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in Kristjan Asllani heading into the summer transfer window...
What's the talk?
TV Dello Sport reporter Alfredo Pedulla has claimed that the Magpies have made an enquiry to Empoli in an attempt to snap the midfielder up.
The player would prefer to remain in the Serie A and Milan are said to be waiting in the wings and this leaves the Toon with plenty of work to do to get a deal over the line.
Pedulla Tweeted: "Asllani would like to stay in Italia, but Newcastle asked for a meeting. Milanese waiting."
Eddie Howe will be excited
The Newcastle head coach will be excited by this update as Asllani would be an excellent prospect to add to the group next season.
He is not a big-name player who will come in and be expected to perform week-in-week-out, but he can be a useful squad member in the short term to develop into a key performer.
Asllani is a promising young player who has shown that he has the potential to be a big player in the future. At the age of 20, he has already racked up 23 Serie A appearances for Empoli and averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.76, starting 14 games.
The Albanian midfielder ended the campaign with one goal and one assist to his name, creating two 'big chances' as he showed flashes of creativity. He also proved that he is reliable in possession as he completed 93% of his passes in his own half and 84% overall.
Off the ball, he held his own as he won 53% of his individual duels and made 1.6 tackles and interceptions per game in the Serie A. Whilst these are not outstanding statistics, Asllani has given himself a solid base to work on moving forward after his first professional season.
Given his age, he enjoyed an impressive debut campaign and that is why he can be an exciting addition to Newcastle's squad as he is a player with the potential to get better.
He can be a rotation option initially and learn from the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton whilst adapting to the Premier League.
Howe will surely be excited to work with him on the training pitch to help him fulfil his potential and that is why he will be buzzing with the club's efforts to bring the youngster to Tyneside.