Newcastle United closing in on first January signing - set to undergo medical 'in coming days'

Newcastle United are set to bolster their academy with a highly-rated addition.

As per The Athletic, the Magpies have agreed a deal with Manchester City to sign 18-year-old midfielder Alfie Harrison for an undisclosed fee. Harrison is expected to undergo a medical in the coming days ahead of signing a long-term contract.

It's claimed Harrison has drawn comparisons to Erling Haaland for "their visual resemblance and has recorded impressive goal and assist statistics for their age-group teams".

Newcastle head of youth recruitment Paul Midgley, who joined from Man City in 2022, is understood to have played a key role in the move with talks centred around Harrison having a clear path towards the first-team.

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has handed opportunities to several youngsters, the prime example being 17-year-old Lewis Miley. Meanwhile the likes of Alex Murphy, Ben Parkinson, Michael Ndiweni and Amadou Diallo have appeared on the bench this term.

Harrison, who has been with the Citizens since the age of nine, has made 10 appearances in all competitions for the under-18s this season and scored eight times.

Newcastle made a number of academy additions last summer, including under-21s pair Cathal Heffernan and Reece Byrne.

Heffernan joined from Serie A giants AC Milan while his countryman Byrne arrived from Bohemian FC. Both players have represented the Republic of Ireland at youth level.

At under-18s level, Trevan Sanisu, Travis Hernes and Leo Shahar arrived from Birmingham City, Shrewsbury Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers, respectively.

Meanwhile, Michael Mills of League One side Port Vale, Oldham Athletic prospect Sam Alabi and Kacey Wooster of Southend United joined the Magpies’ academy ranks at under-15s and under-16s level.