Newcastle interested in Jorge Salinas as £13.8m release clause goes public

Newcastle United need cover at left-back with only Lewis Hall as a natural fit for that position in the squad.

Matt Targett will officially leave the club when his contract expires this month, while Dan Burn and Alex Murphy have stepped in at left-back on a few occasions; only Lewis Hall is a recognised first-team left-back as things stand.

It could be the perfect time for young Alex Murphy to step up and start to play a more prominent role in the side, but it's likely that Newcastle will still recruit for that position in the summer.

A report from Mundo Deportivo in Spain claims that Newcastle have their eyes on Racing Santander left-back Jorge Salinas.

Jorge Salinas has a £13.8m release clause

The 19-year-old was a big part of Racing Santander's promotion-winning season, playing 34 times for the Spanish side.

Newcastle aren't alone in their admiration for the youngster, as Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen, Porto, PSG, and Bologna have also made enquiries.

Salinas is thought to have a €16m (£13.8m) release clause in his contract, which, if activated, would make him Racing Santander's biggest-ever sale.

Racing Santander are in a strong position

Whether the La Liga newcomers would hold out for the release clause or be willing to negotiate, only time will tell, but with so many clubs making enquiries, they seem nicely positioned to demand that anyone who wants Salinas must fork over the £13.8 million.

In the grand scheme of things, it's not a great deal of money in today's market, but it is still a risk for a teenager who has only been tested in the second tier of Spanish football.

The calibre of the competition Newcastle could face if they were to pursue Salinas, however, does suggest that scouts have been very impressed with what they've seen.

Rumour Rating: 6/10 - Jorge Salinas ticks a lot of the Newcastle transfer boxes and is a low-cost, medium-risk type of signing. The competition could be difficult to fend off. Also, the reports are only coming out of Spain right now, with The Chronicle only covering it as part of their live transfer feed for now.