Newcastle United emerge as contenders to sign Brazilian prodigy amid Chelsea interest

Newcastle United fans are bracing themselves for their first Champions League match at St James’ Park for 20 years as they play host to French champions PSG.

The Magpies have enjoyed a good run of form in recent weeks which has seen them win four of their last five games, whilst keeping five clean sheets in the progress.

They kicked off their European campaign with a 0-0 draw against AC Milan and progressed to the next round of the Carabao Cup with a victory over eight-time winners Manchester City last week.

Newcastle’s impressive form has won plaudits but squad depth remains an issue in the team and the likes of Joelinton, Joe Willock, Harvey Barnes, Sven Botman and Callum Wilson have all been victims of injuries in recent weeks.

Howe is keen to compete on all fronts for silverware this season and he may act to add extra reinforcements in the midfield in the January window. One name currently drawing attention, according to reports from Spanish newspaper Sport, is Gabriel Moscardo of Corinthians.

Moscardo is an 18-year-old Brazilian who burst on the scene at the end of last season. He is seen as a tough tackling defensive midfielder and his performances have already garnered the attention of Brazil’s U23 team.

The teenage midfielder was the subject of two failed bids in the summer transfer window by Chelsea, according to reports from Fabrizio Romano.

The Italian journalist claims that Chelsea had a bid of £18m turned down for the star as the Blues know “just how talented” he is. Romano claims that the asking price was around £26m for Moscardo, however this figure could increase depending on his performances this season.

Newcastle have invested heavily in their future squads in recent windows with the signing of Tino Livramento, Yankuba Minteh, Garang Kuol and Lewis Hall, who is a loan signing with an option to buy.

The arrival of Moscardo would add further competition in a strong midfield which already features Sandro Tonali, Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff, Elliot Anderson, Lewis Miley and Brazilian internationals Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes.