An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in Gianluca Scamacca in the summer transfer window... 

What's the talk?

According to Craig Hope of the Daily Mail, the Italian is one of the strikers PIF are plotting a swoop for as an alternative to Hugo Ekitike.

The club had agreed a £25m deal to sign the Stade Reims forward but that move has now been scuppered by demands from his agents, which has left the Magpies scouring the globe for other targets.

It is claimed that Newcastle are keen on Scamacca, who is reportedly set to be available for a fee in the region of €30m, and that they will need to convince him to make the switch as the 'feeling' is that he would prefer to remain in the Serie A.

Eddie Howe's own Jamie Vardy

The Premier League has been host to some incredible goalscorers over the years; Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry, and Sergio Aguero to name but a few.

One player who has put his name up alongside them, against all odds, is Leicester City legend Jamie Vardy. The former non-league attacker has scored 133 goals in 270 top-flight matches for the Foxes - winning one title along the way - and Newcastle can now land Howe his own version of him by signing Scamacca from Sassuolo.

FBref lists the players as being similar to each other based on their statistics over the past 365 days in Europe's top five leagues.

In the Premier League last season, Vardy plundered 15 goals and two assists in 20 starts as he, once again, showcased his ability to find the back of the net on a consistent basis.

Scamacca, meanwhile, scored 16 goals and created three 'big chances' for his teammates in 25 starts for Sassuolo in Serie A. His former Italy U21 coach Luigi Di Biagio once claimed that he plays "on the edge" and this has seemingly allowed him to thrive in front of goal.

This shows that he has the quality to score goals on a regular basis at the top level, just like Vardy has over the years for Leicester. At the age of 23, he also has the potential to be Newcastle's main man at the top end of the pitch for the next decade - given that the Englishman is still firing them in at the age of 35.

The Magpies would, therefore, be signing a player to contribute over the course of a number of seasons, rather than signing a short-term solution, which is why he would be a fantastic addition to the team.

AND in other news: Offer made: NUFC in talks to sign "world-class" 110-goal "magician", Howe needs him