When it comes to Eddie Howe and his recruitment team, they have a history of pursuing long-term targets.

And this can see some transfer sagas last for multiple windows: James Trafford, for example, was subject to interest that spanned multiple seasons, and with his Manchester City career off to a difficult start, who can really rule us out of an audacious attempt to bring the goalkeeper to Tyneside in the near future?

Trafford isn’t the only example, as a recent report in Spain is once again linking us with a move for one of La Liga’s top midfield talents.

Questions were asked in the summer over just how he would fit into our starting XI and Howe’s system, but the demand for high-level squad players to play across multiple competitions has never been greater, and this player could fit us perfectly in that regard.

Toon reignite interest in Sancet?

According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Newcastle have sent scouts to Athletic Bilbao as we continue our pursuit of midfielder Oihan Sancet.

A well-regarded attacking midfielder for the Basque giants, the 25-year-old has one goal in La Liga this season, but was kept on the bench in their recent defeat against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

There is talk of a release clause between €70-80m, and his current contract doesn’t expire until 2032, although he is likely to cost considerably less than the buyout fee in his current deal.

When our interest in Sancet was first reported back in early August, it was hinted that the potential sale of Alexander Isak would be used to fund a move for the Spaniard.

Of course, almost of the money we’ve received for Isak went towards signing Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, where striker replacements were far more important than midfield reinforcements at the time.

But now, demand for squad depth is high as we expect to play in excess of 50 competitive games all season, and an attacking option like Sancet would offer something different to what a player like Lewis Miley or Joe Willock currently can.

One to watch when Bilbao come to Newcastle?

Newcastle fans will notice that the fourth game of our ongoing Champions League campaign will see us host Bilbao at St James’ Park.

Which means we’ll get a good glimpse of Sancet under the lights on the 5th of November, but it won’t be the first time he’s graced our grass.

In fact, the then-22-year-old came on as a substitute in the second half of a 2022 friendly between ourselves and Bilbao, which we won 2-1 after goals from Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin.