Newcastle United midfielder signing 'imminent' as club chief makes official announcement - 2029 deal agreed

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Newcastle United are looking to strike a deal with Turkish side Gençlerbirligi and sign Baran Yildiz.

The 18-year-old midfielder has been scouted by Newcastle’s recruitment team with the club looking to agree a deal that will see him join up with the club’s academy on Tyneside. Yildiz has not made his senior debut for Gençlerbirligi in the Turkish second-tier but has caught The Magpies’ eye at youth level.

Although no first-team-ready signings are expected this transfer window, there has been movement at youth level. Newcastle have already secured two deals for promising youngsters with Kyle Fitzgerald joining from Galway United following his 18th birthday and Georgian forward Vakhtang Salia set to arrive from Dinamo Tbilisi once he turns 18 in August.

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And now Yildiz looks set to follow with Gençlerbirligi general manager Ali Ekber Düzgün suggesting the youngster is ‘on his way’ out of the club on Friday.

"Baran's transfer is left to the official signature,” he said. “It has not been officially finalized yet. But as long as there are no surprises, our young football player is on his way to England."

Reports from Turkish transfer expert Yağız Sabuncuoğlu have suggested Yildiz will sign a deal at Newcastle until 2029. Sporting director Paul Mitchell has played an active role in the potential transfer.

The attacking midfielder has scored seven goals in 27 games for Gençlerbirligi at youth level.

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Newcastle are also in talks to sign Malaga winger Antonio Cordero on a pre-contract agreement that would see the 18-year-old join on a free transfer in the summer.

The low-risk, potentially high-reward nature of youth signings is a strategy that has been outlined by Mitchell and his predecessor Dan Ashworth previously. The club has expanded its scouting network in recent seasons in an attempt to identify young players with high potential from across the world such as Yildiz.

“Scouting and recruiting emerging talent is an essential part of building a sustainable future, particularly within the current PSR framework, so the market is fiercely competitive,” Mitchell said previously.

"We continue to scout extensively, both domestically and overseas, with a view to securing players who can come through our talent pathway and, ideally, become part of the first team in future.”

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