Newcastle United are reportedly looking closely at the South American market to build their super team at St James' Park, and a new potential transfer target has emerged that could be a great prospect for the club.

What's the latest?

According to Brazilian news outlet TNT Sports, Newcastle are interested in signing Flamengo midfielder Matheus Franca.

As per the report, the Magpies are competing with fellow Premier League club Crystal Palace and Bayer Leverkusen to secure the signature of the rising star and the Eagles are currently trying to reach an agreement to secure Franca's signature.

Imagine him & Bruno

It's safe to say that Newcastle have had huge success with signing Brazilian talent in the centre of the pitch, with Bruno Guimaraes becoming a stand-out performer for the club since his arrival in January and clearly the powers at St James' Park are keen to continue to acquire the services of South American prospects.

Over 17 Brasileiro Serie A appearances this season, the 18-year-old has been seriously impressive.

Indeed, he has scored four goals and created one big chance, as well as taking 1.4 shots per game and successfully completing 59% of his dribbles, proving that he is a real attacking threat that could become a valuable asset to Eddie Howe.

Not only that, Franca ranks in the top 1% of his positional peers across the 'next eight best' leagues across the world for tackles, progressive passes and dribbles completed, as well as ranking in the top 15% for non-penalty goals, interceptions and touches.

The youngster - who was hailed a "Brazilian talent" by Fabrizio Romano - could form a formidable partnership with fellow Brazil native Guimaraes if he makes the move to Tyneside in the coming months as he is clearly capable of building play from midfield to become a threat in front of goal.

The Newcastle midfielder ranks in the top 10% compared to his positional peers across the top five European leagues for dribbles completed, tackles and non-penalty goals, so combining Guimaraes' talents with Franca's attacking attributes could be deadly for their opponents.

With that being said, the signing of Franca would be an exciting addition for Newcastle in their ambitious effort to dominate domestic football and break into European competitions once again as the Brazilian wonderkid could be a real prospect for the future.