Newcastle United transfer news: Key target's future 'hangs in the balance', Magpies consider Daniel Sturridge and Ahmed Musa

The Magpies were first linked with Dragusin in late January before speculation resurfaced via Calciomercato when they reported the club was a “concrete option” for the Romanian.

With the 19-year-old out-of-contract at the end of the season, interest is said to be growing, ultimately bringing further competition to United’s door.

RB Leipzig and Atalanta had already been mentioned as potential suitors but according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Crystal Palace have now joined the race.

Juventus want the highly-rated youngster to sign a new contract but Dragusin’s future “hangs in the balance ”as he “doesn't accept the idea of ​​going on loan”.

It is also claimed “Dragusin and his family are not making it a question of money”, focusing purely on plans for his development. That suggests the race for Dragusin’s signature is wide open.

Both Federico Fernandez and Fabian Schar are out of contract in the summer but United are thought to have the option of extending the latter’s deal by another year.

Meanwhile, free agents Daniel Sturridge and Ahmed Musa have been discussed by Newcastle, as per Eurosport.

A hamstring injury to Callum Wilson has left Steve Bruce seriously lacking attacking firepower, prompting speculation that the United head coach is considering the free agent market.

However, the links do seem very far-fetched. The Premier League would need to approve any signings outside the transfer market, regardless if they’re without a club.

Bruce has named his 25-man squad, bringing Christian Atsu back into the fold after DeAndre Yedlin’s departure left a space.

The Magpies can sign Sturridge or Musa if they like, but they won’t be able to feature until next season, which makes a deal pretty pointless.

We’ve also rounded up all of the other Newcastle and Premier League transfer headlines: