Newcastle are in talks over a move for Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey.
Newcastle have been considering making a move for their long-term target for the last few days.
Villa are looking to sell a player to help with their Financial Fair Play (FFP) situation, and as an academy product, a Ramsey sale would represent pure profit.
Villa have been attempting to offer the midfielder a new deal. Sky Sports News has been told there has been no formal offer as of yet.
How good is Ramsey?
Analysis by Sky Sports' Adam Bate:
Ramsey remains a popular player at Aston Villa with the club's supporters, the heir to Jack Grealish at one stage. Although foot injuries have hampered his development, Unai Emery has continued to value what he can bring to the team.
Even though he represents pure profit for Villa in PSR terms, Emery pushed to keep Ramsey at the club when Tottenham and Newcastle were interested in signing him in the January transfer window of 2024, highlighting his potential to get better and better.
"Jacob Ramsey is a very important player," said Emery. "He grew up here in the academy and his progression is clearly getting better. His level is increasing a lot. He is a big potential player in Aston Villa, in England. I want to keep him here, 100 per cent."
Ramsey was 22 then but is 24 now and by the player's own admission that progression has not been as impressive as hoped. The top-line numbers - one goal and five assists in the Premier League last season - were not eye-catching but the potential remains.
One statistic worth considering is that Ramsey ranked second only to Kevin De Bruyne in terms of his availability to pick the ball up between the lines. The next two players on that particular list in last season's Premier League were Phil Foden and Cole Palmer.
It hints at Ramsey's smart movement and his able to ghost into space, finding positions in the pocket from which his ball-carrying ability can shine. His output suggests that his team-mates did not find him enough and when they did he did not do enough with it.
But there is clearly plenty to work with. Eddie Howe and Newcastle are entitled to feel excited that this is a player coming into his peak years with the potential to blossom in the coming seasons. And there are many still at Villa Park who would agree with that.
Newcastle United transfers
In
Anthony Elanga - Nottingham Forest, £55m
Antonio Cordero - Malaga, free
Aaron Ramsdale - Southampton, loan
Malick Thiaw - AC Milan, £30m + £4.3m
Out
Lloyd Kelly - Juventus, £20m
Jamal Lewis - released
Callum Wilson - West Ham, free
Sean Longstaff - Leeds, £12m
Martin Dubravka - Burnley, undisclosed