Top NUFC target fires club into quarter-final of the Champions League alongside former Mag

Just a few days ago, Mark Douglas revealed that Newcastle had identified Darwin Nunez as a top summer target in his latest piece for i news.

He claimed that we were quoted £50m for the highly-rated Uruguayan in January and may need to pay around £60m if we're to prise him away from Benfica at the end of the season.

Well, his value may have gone up a few more million this week, as the striker bagged his 26th goal of the season on Tuesday night - and it was undoubtedly his most important one yet.

Benfica travelled to Ajax in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie and the 22-year-old scored the only goal of the game to send the Portuguese giants through - seeing them join the likes of Real Madrid, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in the quarter-final draw.

Former Mag Valentino Lazaro was in the Benfica side that night, with this the second season running the ex-NUFC loanee has made it to the knockout stages of the Champions League since Steve Bruce handed him a bizarre lack of game time following a move from Inter Milan.

Back to Nunez, you can watch his winning goal below:

Could he be the big-money striker that arrives at St James' Park this summer?

One to keep an eye on over the quarter-final stages, with Newcastle officials probably hoping he doesn't attract too much more attention from here on in!