An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrik Schick.
What's the talk?
The Magpies are plotting a bid for the Czech Republic international as The Mirror claim that he is one of their transfer targets for the upcoming summer window.
PIF are looking to splash the cash again after bringing in Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Matt Targett, Bruno Guimaraes and Dan Burn in January and Schick is one of the players they are eyeing up to improve the squad.
Eddie Howe's own Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The Toon head coach can find his own Ibrahimovic in the Leverkusen centre-forward as he has been likened to the former PSG and Barcelona hitman.
Juventus chief, and former Ballon d'Or winner, Pavel Nedved previously compared him to the Swedish icon, saying:
“Schick has a great future in front of him. He is a footballer with a body perfectly ready to be strengthen.
"For now, Schick’s body is without muscles but you need to imagine him in two or three years. He reminds me of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, because he was like this when he came to Juve. He didn’t have muscles either.
“Then Zlatan gained muscles and turned into a world-class striker. Schick is also this type of striker – great feet, tall and fast. If Patrik keeps improving himself he can turn into a world-class striker as well."
The attacker, who is now valued at £50m, is fulfilling the potential that Nedved saw in him as he has plundered goals at a phenomenal rate this season.
In the Bundesliga, he has scored 22 times in 25 appearances for Leverkusen. He has also scored 17 goals in 33 caps for the Czech Republic as he is proving that he can be an elite player at the top level, scoring on a consistent basis for club and country.
A tall, fast, striker with a sensational goalscoring record sounds like an exciting target for Newcastle to have. The goal machine, as Nedved explained, can be Howe's own Ibrahimovic with his physical and technical attributes in the number nine position.
PIF must now bring him to the Premier League so that he can send St. James' Park into raptures on a regular basis with his ability to put the ball in the back of the net. He has proven that he can do it in the Bundesliga and at international level and now it could be time for him to flex his muscles in England.