Newcastle were actually thinking about signing £70m English player earlier this summer

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Newcastle United were considering a move for Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze earlier on in the transfer window, before signing Sandro Tonali.

That’s according to the Evening Standard, who have claimed that Eze, who is valued at £70m by his club, was a target for Eddie Howe this summer.

The 25-year-old scored 10 goals and provided four assists for Crystal Palace last season, and is now the subject of interest from Manchester City.

The report has revealed that Newcastle were monitoring Eze before deciding to move for Tonali.

“Newcastle are believed to have considered Eze as a midfield option earlier in the summer, before eventually signing Sandro Tonali from AC Milan for £55m,” it is claimed.

Tonali eventually ended up joining for a club-record fee, and the former AC Milan captain has had an excellent start to his career in England, having scored on his Premier League debut against Aston Villa.

Would Eze have been a good signing?

The Englishman, who Crystal Palace signed from QPR, could have been an excellent addition to the squad.

His mixture of flair and strong end product, as well as his versatility, meant he could have fit straight into the team in a variety of positions.

Eze can play in central or attacking midfield roles, as well as on the wing, and he would have added serious creativity to the Newcastle team.

However, Tonali and Harvey Barnes have arrived in the positions he could have filled, and both are excellent young players with bright futures ahead of them. Although Eze could have been quality addition on top of the pair, it would not have been financially viable to do all three deals this summer.

Eze will have arrived as a Premier League-experienced attacker, capable of scoring from midfield even with limited opportunities, and alongside the likes of Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes behind him, could have been a deadly force in attack.