Newcastle plan summer move for €40m World Cup winner - Aston Villa also keen - BILD

According to reports in Germany, Newcastle United have their sights set on a summer move for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Exequiel Palacios.

This comes from SportBILD, who report that ourselves and Aston Villa are showing interest in the 25-year-old Argentinian following another outstanding season in the Bundesliga.

With Xabi Alonso's side currently top of the pile and in with a huge chance of being crowned German champions for 2023/24, they are reluctant to lose their tough-tackling midfielder and are expected to demand a minimum of €40m.

Palacios was part of the Argentina squad that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has played a central role in Leverkusen's incredible run that's seen them go 32 games unbeaten, leaving them eight points clear of Bayern Munich and the second favourites to win the Europa League behind Liverpool.

Both Aston Villa and Newcastle are said to be in the market for a ball-winning No 6 this summer, making Palacios the latest name to watch out for over the coming months; although I'd expect more big clubs to join the race given the season he's having in Germany.