Newcastle United are in a great position of power after exceeding expectations and qualifying for the Champions League last season, and could now target Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic.
What's the latest on Dusan Vlahovic to Newcastle?
Following a report from Foot Mercato, fresh rumours surrounding Newcastle's interest in Vlahovic have risen to the fore, with the Serbian striker who is valued at around €80m (£69m) by his Italian outfit, being tracked by the north east side.
Signing from Fiorentina for €70m (£60m) in January 2022, the 23-year-old has not quite found his feet in Turin and could now be shipped on after financial difficulties and a ten-point deduction – confining the Old Lady to the Europa Conference League – could result in his sale.
However, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has recently revealed through his Caught Offside column that there is "nothing concrete" in the rumours, though this could change as the transfer window rages on.
News of interest in another Serie A star comes amid the potential addition of Sandro Tonali, who looks set to arrive at St James' Park in a deal worth £68.5m.
How good is Dusan Vlahovic?
A natural sharpshooter, Vlahovic burst onto the scene with La Viola and plundered 49 goals and eight assists from just 108 outings as he found his feet on the major stage.
Last season, however, he has not been at his fluid best and has scored just 14 times from 42 appearances across all competitions, including just ten strikes in Serie A, with journalist Emmet Gates saying he is "a Ferrari being driven like a Fiat".
His striking ability is without question, despite being culpable for somewhat languishing at the Allianz Stadium, and among a thriving, cohesive crop at St. James' Park he could finally unleash the full scale of his skill set, potentially serving as Newcastle's next Aleksandar Mitrovic, another bullish forward from Serbia.
Now starring for Fulham, incredibly scoring 43 times from 44 Championship displays in 2021/22 before scoring 15 times from just 24 Premier League appearances in 2022/23, and while he formerly wore his stripes on Tyneside, he only managed to score 17 goals from 72 matches.
This will not emit much poignancy now, with Eddie Howe's outfit fit and firing at full throttle, but Vlahovic could take the baton and pick up where his compatriot left off, blending with the likes of Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson to wreak havoc on defences in both the Premier League and Champions League.
Despite enduring a tough time of late, Vlahovic still managed to complete an average Sofascore rating of 6.94 in the Italian top-flight, averaging 2.5 shots per game and indeed scoring ten times despite only starting on 22 occasions.
And given that he has plundered 13 goals from just 21 outings with Serbia, there's every chance that he will harness his qualities as a first-rate finisher with a move to Newcastle.
There is more than just goals to compare the two, however, with their physicality a notable plus point of their games.
Indeed, reporter Siavoush Fallahi dubbed the Juve star a "beast" and "like an animal in a cage" with his ability to hold the ball up and win aerial battles eye-catching. Mitrovic, on the other hand, has "scary" physicality. Clearly, they are more alike than first meets the eye.