Newcastle United and Aston Villa 'dealing with' £35m-rated midfield star impressing in the Bundesliga

Newcastle United and Aston Villa are reportedly in talks with the representatives of World Cup winning midfielder Exequiel Palacios.

The Argentina star is playing a lead role in Bayer Leverkusen's seemingly unrelenting march towards the Bundesliga title under former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso. As it stands, Die Werkself are sat eight points clear of Bayern Munich after going unbeaten during their opening 22 games of the league season.

Speaking of his side's unexpected title push, Palacios stressed Bayer are ready to prove their have 'big ambitions' and insisted they would be continue staying true to the style of play that has seen their head coach catch the attention of several major clubs in the coming months.

He told the Bundesliga website: “(We are) team that’s always going to try and play good football, keep the ball on the ground. We’re not going to stop playing our game of always moving the ball, stringing passes together and playing to win every game. All one step at a time. We’ve got big ambitions. The club needs a title, and we know we’re on a good path. We hope to keep going.”

Palacios has been integral in helping Alonso implement his style and play and was a regular feature in the Bayer side prior to a muscle injury that has kept him out of his side's last four league games. His absence has not prevented a whole host of clubs around Europe considering a move for his services and German outlet SportBild have claimed Newcastle and Villa are 'dealing with' the midfielder. However, there is also a warning that both Premier League clubs could face a significant challenge in persuading Bayer to authorise the sale of one of their key assets unless they are willing to spend over £35m.