Newcastle eyeing Brazilian sensation Gabriel Mec - ESPN Brazil
Alongside our pursuit of first-team-ready talent, Newcastle United will be on the lookout for future stars this summer.
We've already seen the club wrap up a move for Johan Martinez, with the Ecuadorian teenager set to arrive next year once he's turned 18.
However, it seems Ross Wilson and newly recruited Global talent scout Thomas Federspiel aren't done there, with several other South American gems linked with moves to St James' Park.
Newcastle 'on the trail' of Gremio star
According to reports in Brazil, Newcastle are one of several clubs eyeing a summer move for Grêmio sensation Gabriel Mec.
In a report from ESPN Brazil on the 18-year-old's future at the club, they state that Newcastle are 'on the trail' of the highly-rated attacking midfielder.
Mec is set to sign a new contract at Grêmio, extending his deal from 2027 to 2031, stopping him from signing a pre-contract agreement with another club next year.
But ESPN reports that he could still depart this summer, with Newcastle, Villarreal, Sevilla, PSG, Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto all noted as clubs in the mix for his signature.
Grêmio chiefs are thought to value the youngster at €15-20 million, giving us a rough idea of his potential price tag should we up our interest in the Brazilian.
The future looks bright
Switching our attentions closer to home, it's been a season of real growth for our Academy, specifically at Under-15, Under-16 and Under-18 levels.
Our Under-18s have just finished third in their Premier League (North) campaign, finishing behind only Man City and Man Utd as they rounded off 2025/26 with a 4-0 win away to Middlesbrough on Saturday.
As for our Under-16s, we've seen our young Mags lift the Premier League International Cup earlier this year, beating Man City in the final, before seeing off PSG to win the Orange Veins Cup in Rotterdam the following week.
The challenge now is taking that up to the Under-21s, improving our loan system and that pathway from Academy to Eddie Howe's first team.
