Newcastle send scouts to watch Eintracht Frankfurt wonderkid Niko Ilicevic

Newcastle United are on a mission to scoop up young talent from South America, but they haven't neglected Europe to do so.

There have been plenty of reports of late of Thomas Federspiel's South American scouting mission uncovering many potential young stars for Newcastle, but there's also a delegation travelling Europe doing the same.

The Magpies' scouts have been spotted in Germany of late. Bild have reported that Newcastle, along with Tottenham and Chelsea, have sent representatives to watch an exciting 15-year-old attacking midfielder.

Eintracht Frankfurt's Niko Ilicevic has caught the eye of the Premier League trio who sent scouts to watch him in action recently, as did Real Madrid and AC Milan.

Frankfurt are confident they can keep Ilicevic

Ilicevic has already risen to the Frankfurt Under-19s side after one season playing for the Under-17s.  He's made 17 appearances for the Under-19s, 14 of which were starts, and he's helped himself to four goals and two assists along the way.

Eintracht Frankfurt already have plans to promote the youngster to the first team next season and to tie him down to a long-term deal in October when he turns 16 and can sign his first professional contract.

The Bundesliga side is confident that they can keep their young star at the club for a while longer, despite the interest from around Europe.

In post-Brexit Britain, the German couldn't join any of the English clubs until he turns 18 in October 2028, anyway, so even if one of the Premier League sides was able to hash out a deal with Frankfurt this summer, the German side would be able to hold on to him for another couple of years anyway.

Newcastle are snapping up players before they can even move to the UK

Newcastle find themselves in a similar situation with the latest signing, Johan Martinez, who finalised his deal this week, but won't actually be able to move to the UK for another couple of years.

Whether Newcastle would be able to barge their way to the front of the queue for Ilicevic is another story entirely. Chelsea have a great track record when it comes to convincing young players to join their academy, and it usually spells bad news for Newcastle when the Blues enter the fray.

Niko Ilicevic may be one to monitor over the next couple of seasons and see if Newcastle return to the table when he's got some first-team experience under his belt.

Rumour Rating: 5/10 - It's likely that we have sent someone to watch him in action, but it seems a bit soon to be making any concrete moves, with Frankfurt also keen to keep the youngster. Probably one for a bit further down the line.