Former West Ham midfielder visits St James’ Park ahead of potential Newcastle United deal

Newcastle United are in the running to sign England youth international Divine Mukasa following his departure from West Ham United.

The 15-year-old left the London Stadium in May much to the disappointment of West Ham supporters, who heard exciting things about Mukasa through social media.

After starring for the under-15s and under-16s, Mukasa spent large parts of last season with the under-18s in which they secured a league and cup double.

Mukasa scored the goal that clinched the Premier League South title against Arsenal in April and was part of the squad that won the FA Youth Cup. He made 12 appearances in total.

Mukasa, who represented England under-16s earlier this year, is tipped for a bright future with Newcastle and Scottish Premiership giants Rangers vying for his signature.

As first reported by The Secret Scout, Mukasa will visit both clubs’ facilities ahead of making a decision on his next club. Manchester City have also shown interest.

It is NewcastleWorld’s understanding Mukasa was on Tyneside earlier this week, where he was shown around St James’ Park and the club’s academy base.

The Magpies will find out in the coming weeks if they’ve managed to convince Mukasa to continue his development in the North East.

Since arriving as sporting director last summer, Dan Ashworth has implemented big changes to the academy, including the scope in which they have to recruit emerging talent.

Charlie McArthur and Alex Murphy from Kilmarnock and Galway United, respectively, were the standout names to arrive last year.

In 2023, Newcastle have signed Garang Kuol and Yankuba Minteh to St James’ Park before sending them out on loan to gain vital first-team experience.