Newcastle United ‘confident’ of signing £20m-rated star after meeting with representatives

Newcastle United are reportedly ‘confident’ of landing a key midfield target and have been discovered what they must do to complete a deal.

Fenerbahce’s highly-talented youngster Arda Guler is believed to be on the Magpies list of targets ahead of the summer transfer window as the United hierachy look to boost Eddie Howe’s squad ahead of what promises to be one of the most exciting seasons in the club’s recent history.

The 18-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise to the Super Lig giant’s first-team over the last 18 months and his form earned a first senior call-up to the Turkey squad last year. After scoring nine goals and providing 11 assists in his first 50 appearances for Fenerbahce, Guler has attracted attention from several clubs around Europe, with the likes of Liverpool, Napoli, Arsenal, Ajax and Real Madrid all said to be monitoring his progress.

However, recent reports have suggested Newcastle have stolen a march on Guler’s suitors by holding a meeting with the player’s family and representatives. A second meeting is reportedly set to take place over the coming days and Football Insider have revealed the Magpies believe Guler is ‘capable of making an instant impact in England’ and will not be loaned out to gain first-team experience if they are able to complete a deal.

There were suggestions Newcastle could have secured a cut-price deal for the midfielder after a clause in his contract allowing him to leave for just £4.3million if he failed to 1,500 minutes of game-time this season. It now seems highly likely Guler will surpass that amount this weekend when Fenerbahce face Basaksehir in the Turkish Cup Final this weekend.

There have been some reports stating his release clause would increase to £17.4million if he appears for over half an hour of Sunday’s game - but Football Insider have stated Newcastle will now have to pay a fee in excess of £20million if they want to land a player with a growing reputation in European football.