Newcastle reportedly scouting Hearts teenager Aaron Hickey makes sense

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Newcastle were in attendance at Hearts’ game against Rangers on Sunday, watching teenager Aaron Hickey, according to the Scottish Sun, and it makes sense, given the club’s recent youth-focused transfer approach.

Newcastle’s summer reshuffle at youth levels has seen the club eye more young talent, which saw them bring in midfielder Kyle Scott from Chelsea, goalkeeper Jake Turner from Bolton and former Dijon youth player Ludwig Francillette.

So a move for 17-year-old Hickey would be a logical one for Newcastle, especially as he has already propelled himself into the first-team at the Tynecastle club.

Should they firm up their alleged interest, it would be interesting to see if they would view him as an under-23 squad member, or capable of forcing his way straight into the senior squad picture.

The player has yo-yoed between Edinburgh and Glasgow throughout his young career, with him moving from Hearts’ youth academy to Celtic’s U-17 set-up in 2017, before returning to his former club a year later.

Hickey is on the radar of several Premier League clubs

Having now become a regular in the starting XI for Craig Levein’s side, he has caught the eye of various Premier League clubs, meaning there could be stiff competition for the youngster’s signature, should Newcastle pursue a deal.

The report claimed, other than Newcastle, Arsenal, Liverpool, Southampton and Norwich were also represented at Tynecastle to look at Hickey.

Rangers have also been credited with an interest, and a mooted £2 million bid is thought to have been recommended to the Ibrox club from their talent-spotting team.

A fee of that size is a big amount for a 17-year-old, and would be a major investment for Newcastle – particularly if he is expected to ply his trade in the second-string side for the rest of this season.

But it might be one worth making, if Newcastle want to unearth more talented youngsters capable of following in the footsteps of the Longstaff brothers over the past year.