According to Mundo Deportivo, Newcastle United have been told that they will have to pay £35m if they wish to sign Espanyol centre-back David Lopez this summer.

What's the story?

Speculation surrounding the future of Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles continues to gather pace, with a number of clubs said to be interested in the defender.

As a result, the Magpies could well be searching for at least one new centre-back this summer.

Head coach Rafael Benitez is believed to extremely interested in bringing Espanyol defender Lopez to St James' Park in this summer's transfer window.

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, the Premier League club face being priced out of a move, with Espanyol demanding £35m in order to sanction a sale.

Newcastle are not currently in a position to spend that sort of money on one player, but Lascelles' reported departure would certainly free up some funds.

Is Lopez worth £35m?

Lopez is valued at £7.2m by transfermarkt.co.uk, but according to Mundo Deportivo, Espanyol are not interested in opening talks for anything less than £35m.

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The 28-year-old is contracted to his Catalan club until the end of the 2019-2020 campaign, and he was in impressive form last season - scoring once in 43 appearances in all competitions.

There is absolutely no question that the Spaniard has talent, and he has the frame required to play at centre-back in the Premier League.

Lopez is also quick across the ground and a good reader of the game, while he has experience of playing in Serie A having represented Napoli between 2014 and 2016.

Lopez could turn out to an absolute revelation in the Premier League, but Newcastle must be extremely careful that they do not pay over the odds in this market.