Newcastle are facing a fight to retain defender Fabian Schar as his contract enters its final few months.
Centre-back Schar’s current deal expires this summer and he is now free to sign a pre-contract with a foreign club.
The 30 year-old was wanted in January by Serie A title contenders Napoli who remain interested in signing him this summer.
Italian league leaders AC Milan plus Spanish pair Seville and Valencia also have Schar in their sights.
And with his experience in England plus contract status, Schar has cropped up on the radar of a number of Premier League sides.
Following Newcastle’s Saudi takeover Eddie Howe reinforced his side with over £100m worth of new signings last month.
But he remains a big fan of Schar who remains central to Howe’s plans and has started all but one of the new manager’s 13 games in charge of Newcastle.
Schar, meanwhile, is keen to stay, be one of the leaders of Newcastle’s new-look side and repay Howe’s faith as he is relishing the key role and responsibility he has been handed since the former Bournemouth manager’s appointment in November.
Swiss star Schar joined Newcastle in 2018 and made almost 100 appearances for the club, featuring regularly during Steve Bruce’s rollercoaster reign and being named the North East’s player of the year in 2019.
And he has continued to play a prominent part in the club’s new era so far.