Newcastle are about £4m away from signing ‘really good finisher’ in January

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Newcastle United appear to be interested in signing Marcos Leonardo, and now they know how much they are going to have to pay for him.

Following the recent injuries to Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson, there has been a renewed focus on the Magpies bringing in another forward.

It is clear that Eddie Howe needs more cover, while he will eventually need someone to take Wilson’s place. The Newcastle number nine is still an outstanding player, but there will soon come a time when he needs to be replaced.

That is why bringing someone in now who is young would be a smart idea, with the club being linked with a fresh move for Hugo Ekitike.

The other player being linked with a move to St James’ Park is 20-year-old Brazilian forward Marcos Leonardo. The youngster is a man in demand, but it has been claimed that Newcastle are actually the favourites to secure his signature.

There has even been talk of Newcastle preparing a bid for Leonardo, with a fee of around £16million being rumoured.

A fresh report from 90min suggests that £16million won’t be enough to get Leonardo, but it is not far off of Santos’ asking price.

Newcastle must pay £20m for Marcos Leonardo

According to 90min, Santos are looking to receive a fee of £20million to sell Leonardo at the start of 2024.

That means that Newcastle are around £4million away from the magic number, which has to be encouraging. If Toon officials are serious about signing Leonardo, they will surely be able to find another £4million – or risk missing out like they did with Andrey Santos and Angelo Gabriel.

Newcastle have targeted plenty of young Brazilian stars over the past 12 months, but have been unable to add to their Samba contingent.

Hopefully that changes with Leonardo and he is soon playing in black and white shirt alongside fellow Brazilians Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton.

They are both current Brazil internationals, and they will eventually be joined by Leonardo. He is destined to go right to the top, which is why Newcastle need to move swiftly if they are genuinely interested in signing him.

They certainly should be keen, as it is not often you have the chance to land a 20-year-old striker who has been compared to Premier League legend Sergio Aguero.

Leonardo has been hailed for being a ‘really good finisher‘, and whoever lands him for around £20million could be getting a bit of a bargain if he reaches his potential.