Newcastle United to hijack transfer move for Man Utd linked player

Newcastle United have made an approach for Swedish prodigy Lucas Bergvall as Toon chiefs continue their academy rebuild. That is according to Scandinavian outlet Expressen, who claim the Magpies are tracking the highly-rated 17-year-old. Bergvall only arrived at Djurgarden IF a year ago and is already billed as the next superstar in Swedish football.

The current golden child is Alexander Isak, a striker Newcastle fans are familiar with given his displays since arriving for a club-record fee 18 months ago. Heads were turned when Bergvall made his senior international debut from the bench at the weekend as Sweden beat Estonia.

Barcelona were considered the front-runners to sign the wonderkid, with talks already taking place regarding a possible La Liga move. Djurgarden sporting director revealed the Catalans’ interest in an interview last month.

"I can confirm that we're in talks with Barcelona,” he said. “But in my world, there is no negotiation yet."

Bergvall’s contract expires in 2025 and a bidding war is expected to take place between top European clubs. The Swedish club are anticipating their highest transfer fee received but, at around £6million, that would hardly cripple Newcastle’s balance sheet.

Efforts have been made since the Saudi-backed takeover to bolster the academy ranks - an area of the club neglected during Mike Ashley’s reign. High-profile youngsters like Yankuba Minteh and Garang Kuol joined the youth setup before being loaned out.

Newcastle staved off interest from Barca to land the latter a year ago and must do the same again to sign Bergvall. The midfielder - likened to Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard - spent time training with Manchester United as a junior and they are another Premier League club reportedly expressing interest.