An update has emerged on Newcastle and their pursuit of Ajax gem Lisandro Martinez in the summer transfer window...

What's the talk?

90min reporter Sean Walsh has revealed that PIF have joined the race to land the 26-year-old, along with a host of Premier League teams.

He Tweeted: "Arsenal are leading the chase for Lisandro Martinez, but they face significant competition from likes of Tottenham, Chelsea and Newcastle. Erik ten Hag and Man Utd also admirers but further down their shortlist."

It has been reported that it will take a fee in the region of £25m to tempt the Dutch giants into parting ways with him, but it remains to be seen how much PIF are willing to pay for him.

Fabricio Coloccini 2.0

Newcastle can find their new Coloccini in a deal to sign Martinez as he would be their modern-day Argentine terrier at the back.

The now-40-year-old played a whopping 275 times for the Magpies during his spell on Tyneside and averaged 3.5 tackles and interceptions throughout his career. Standing at 6 foot, the 38-cap Argentina international made himself a regular in the Premier League and consistently won the ball back for his team despite not being the tallest of centre-backs.

At 5 foot 9 inches, Martinez - who has been capped seven times by his county - can be a similar figure at the back as he has shown that he has the potential to make the step over to the Premier League. In 2021/22, he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.61 in the Eredivisie as he showcased his strong defending on a regular basis.

Martinez won 69% of his individual battles and made 3.9 tackles and interceptions per game as he won the ball back for his side and dominated the opposition week-in-week-out.

Journalist Ben Browning claimed that he would be a "level raiser" for Arsenal and that is exactly what he can be for the Magpies. The gem - who has been dubbed "elegant" by scout Jacek Kulig - averaged a SofaScore rating higher than any Toon player managed in the English top-flight last term.

Whilst it is difficult to gauge the difference in quality between the divisions, it does show that he has the potential to come in and be a standout player for the club if he can adapt to the league.

Therefore, he can come in and be Eddie Howe's own Coloccini for many years to come...

AND in other news, NUFC now eyeing move for wonderkid who “is like Neymar”, he’s a big Murphy upgrade...