Newcastle United are interested in bringing Sampdoria striker Duvan Zapata to St James' Park this summer, according to Italian news outlet Calcio Mercato.

What's the story?

The 27-year-old Colombian striker was on loan last season at Sampdoria and scored 11 goals and registered four assists in an impressive campaign for the Italian outfit.

The World Cup striker will actually join Sampdoria on a permanent basis on July 1 but they would be keen to make a profit on the £18m-rated player, as valued by Transfermarkt.

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According to Calcio Mercato, Newcastle, Southampton, Atalanta, Sporting Lisbon and Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning are in the running to sign the powerful forward this summer.

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What's the verdict?

Considering that the transfer fee that Sampdoria payed Napoli is estimated to be around £15million according to Transfermarkt, Newcastle would have to fork out quite a bit to sign the striker.

However, he is the kind of physical striker that Newcastle need and the 6ft2 powerhouse dominates defenders and would fit right in in the Premier League.

As previous Newcastle target Bas Dost looks set to be on his way to Fenerbahce, they need to turn their attention elsewhere and Zapata is built in a similar mould to the Dutch striker.

Newcastle desperately need to sign a striker and Zapata could be the right man to fill the space if they're prepared to spend the money.