An update has emerged on Newcastle United's pursuit of Fiorentina centre-forward Dusan Vlahovic...

What's the talk?

According to Spanish outlet El Nacional, PIF chairman Mohammad Bin Salman is prepared to meet the Serie A side's £67m (€80m) valuation of the attacker, whilst he is also willing to offer him a heft salary to convince him to make the switch.

The report claims that Real and Atletico Madrid are also keen on the forward, with the Magpies hoping to steal a march on their La Liga rivals.

Cloud nine

This report will surely leave Newcastle fans buzzing as it shows a serious degree of ambition from the owners. It would be a stunning deal for the club as his goalscoring record over the last 18 months suggests that he would be a major addition to the squad and beating massive Spanish clubs to his signature would show a sign of intent.

Since the start of last season, Vlahovic has scored 31 goals in 47 Serie A starts for Fiorentina. This shows that he can score goals at an exceptional rate at the top level, which bodes well for his potential form in the Premier League if he joins the Magpies.

He has shown that he has the quality to score goals on a regular basis and fans would surely be delighted to see such an attacking threat come through the door in January.

Serie A expert Connor Clancy heaped praise on the attacker earlier this year and pointed out his key strengths.

He told This is Futbol: “[He’s] Incredible, and it really caught me by surprise because I’d seen him play in the flesh a few times and he scored a great goal against Inter and there was a lot of hype in Florence about him. People were saying this guy’s the real deal and I just couldn’t see it.

"He's just a complete number nine and I know it’s just off the back of one season, but he’s strong, can link play up, can hold the ball up and most importantly, he’s scoring goals. He’s one of those players that when he looks confident, you almost expect him to score every time he plays.”

Newcastle fans will, therefore, be delighted with the prospect of Vlahovic arriving at Newcastle in January.

They will also be elated to read that PIF are prepared to pay the £67m and are willing to commit the funds to bring him to Tyneside, even if the move doesn't go through for other reasons - with the club currently battling against relegation in the Premier League.

This would be a stunning signing, one that could lift them from the doldrums of a relegation battle to brighter times.

AND in other news, Newcastle played a blinder with dream £7m deal for colossus who "gives everything"...