Newcastle United have reportedly sounded out Portugal winger Otavio ahead of a potential summer swoop.
According to a report from A Bola, the Magpies are one of three Premier League clubs to identify the FC Porto star.
Otavio is currently enjoying a brilliant season over in Portugal.
The star has really shown his creativity this term, producing 12 assists so far.
He has also chipped in with five goals.
His contributions have helped Porto surge to the top of the league table. They are still yet to lose a game.
Naturally, there is quite a bit of interest in Otavio amid his productive campaign. And Newcastle are joined in the hunt for his signature by Manchester United and Liverpool.
The Reds have already raided Porto once this season, signing Luis Diaz in January.
Otavio has been with Porto since 2014, joining from Internacional.
He’s made 228 appearances for the club so far, and scored 24 goals and given 61 assists.
He does have a contract with the club until the summer of 2025. So any transfer this summer will be costly.
Otavio supposedly has a release clause of around £50 million. It is very possible Porto will refer any suitors to that figure.
And if Newcastle were to spend that much, they would be breaking their transfer record.
Otavio might be a no-go for Newcastle if Porto won’t negotiate
Recently there was a report that Newcastle will not be spending as much as people think this summer.
The Telegraph estimates the Magpies may only have a budget of about £60 million, before player sales.
Otavio’s release clause is supposedly £50 million, so if Porto are going to be referring teams to that, then Newcastle are probably not going to press ahead.
There are plenty of other versatile wingers out there who are available much cheaper and playing in leagues of a higher standard than the Portuguese top-flight.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
