Newcastle United transfer news: £21m-rated midfielder eyed but Magpies face competition from clubs 'across Europe' for rising Bundesliga star

Dortmund's German midfielder Mario Goetze (L) and Hoffenheim's Austrian midfielder Florian Grillitsch vie for the ball during the German First division Bundesliga football match TSG 1899 Hoffenheim v BVB Borussia Dortmund in Sinsheim, southern Germany, on December 20, 2019. (Photo by Daniel ROLAND / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by DANIEL ROLAND/AFP via Getty Images)

According to German publication SportBild, United are monitoring the Austrian international teammate of Valentino Lazaro after an influential season in the German top tier for TSG Hoffenheim.

But the player’s contract, signed last summer, reportedly has a number of release clauses applied to it, with United having to pay a higher fee to sign the 24-year-old, than other clubs across Europe.

The report states for clubs in the Premier League the release clause for Grillitsch is around £21million, while clubs in other divisions across the continent able to snap the player up for around £15million.

Grillitsch, a former teammate of United forward Joelinton, is also reportedly being monitored by clubs ‘across Europe’ as well as Premier League rivals Southampton.

Last summer United shelled out a reported £40million to sign Brazilian frontman Joelinton from Grillitsch’s club Hoffenheim. The 23-year-old forward has scored just three goals in all competitions this season, with only one of those coming in the Premier League.

Elsewhere, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville believes United will NOT be dragged into a relegation battle, despite winning just one of their last nine games in the Premier League.

He said: “I look at the bottom six, it will be three of those. Newcastle will get enough points to stay clear. West Ham are the team that would have least expected to be there.”