Newcastle join race to sign Corinthians star Andre - ESPN Brazil

Newcastle United's South American scouting mission is showing no signs of slowing down.

The Magpies have been on the hunt for young hidden talents in South America, and having already signed 16-year-old Johan Martinez, the club continues to look for potential signings in the region.

While Newcastle has to wait a couple of years before they actually get their hands on Martinez, the hunt for players who can make a more immediate impact has continued.

ESPN Brazil has now claimed that Newcastle are keen on 19-year-old Corinthians midfielder Andre, as are a host of other European clubs.

Newcastle among host of clubs keen on Brazilian youngster Andre

ESPN's Felipe Silva named Newcastle United amongst the interested clubs and claims that Andre could be sold in the summer, claiming we have added the teenager to our list of targets.

It seems there is plenty of rival interest, however, with Spurs and other unnamed European sides also in the mix.

"It’s very likely he will be sold in the next transfer window. He actually had a good game yesterday and is trying to recover his form. He also received a telling off from manager Fernando Diniz after the two silly red cards he picked up.

"We’ve reported before on the interest from Italy, with Milan trying to sign him previously and expected to return with another attempt. But there are also other markets exploring the possibility of a deal. Zenit are one of the clubs monitoring him, should their move for Botafogo’s Danilo fail to materialise. Danilo, however, has no interest in playing in Russia.

"In England, several clubs are looking at him. Newcastle have added him to their radar, especially as they could sell Bruno Guimaraes and are assessing potential replacements. Tottenham have also added Andre to their radar, but any move is uncertain given their Premier League status.

"There are also representatives in Europe listening to interest and weighing up possible deals, so a move in the middle of the year is very much on the table. Corinthians need to sell."

Andre could be a giant

The framing of this story is that Newcastle are looking at Andre as a potential replacement for Bruno Guimaraes, who could be sold this summer.

That doesn't seem very likely, but that's not to say that the Magpies don't hold an interest in the teenager, and perhaps see him as a long-term successor to Bruno.

Andre can play as a defensive midfielder, a regular midfielder, and an attacking midfielder, so his versatility would be very useful to Eddie Howe.

We suspect he won't be seen as a player to throw straight into the first team as he's only just breaking through at Corinthians, but he could be a good signing for the future.

Rumour Rating: 6/10 - It always feels like there's truth to rumours when South American players are involved these days. Andre seems to have a lot of admirers, which could make this one tricky. Also, the part about Bruno Guimaraes takes a bit of credibility away from the source.