24-year-old player is interested in signing for Newcastle, he will cost £51m

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Newcastle United are looking for an alternative signing to Kalvin Phillips, and believe they might have found one in Italy.

The Magpies have been left frustrated in their pursuit of the Manchester City midfielder, which has resulted in them cooling their interest and looking for alternatives.

That has taken them to Serie A, with Eddie Howe’s side now interested in Atalanta star Ederson. It has been claimed that recruitment chief Steve Nickson went to watch the 24-year-old on Monday.

It was a fruitful visit, as Ederson starred in a 5-0 win over Frosinone. He even scored in the game, meaning he now has six goals in all competitions this season.

Given his age, Ederson is a much more appealing signing than Phillips. He is someone who could have a long-term future on Tyneside, while Newcastle currently seem unconvinced about Phillips staying at St James’ Park beyond the current campaign.

The deal for Phillips is proving to be difficult, but that might also be the case when it comes to Ederson.

How Ederson and Atalanta feel about Newcastle transfer

According to Premier League Brasil, Atalanta do not want to sell Ederson during the January transfer window.

It will take a fee of £51million to bring him to the North East, which would make him the club’s third most expensive signing ever behind Alexander Isak and Sandro Tonali.

That kind of fee surely puts him out of reach for Newcastle, who are very wary about staying on the right side of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

Therefore, a deal for Ederson feels unlikely. However, his stance might change things.

The report claims that the midfielder sees joining a club like Newcastle as a step up from Atalanta, and believes it would increase his chances of representing Brazil. After all, the Magpies already have two Brazil internationals on their books in Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton.

Ederson is reportedly interested in the transfer, and so are Newcastle. The story from Premier League Brasil claims that Nickson was very impressed with what he saw during his trip to Italy, and relayed that information to the player’s representatives.

This is certainly an interesting one that has gathered legs over the past couple of days, but the fact that Atalanta want more than £50million surely puts him out of Newcastle’s reach during the current transfer window.

We shall wait and see, but the Magpies are at least looking for alternatives to Phillips.