Newcastle's hopes of signing Aleksandar Stankovic hit complication

In April, Newcastle United were credited with an interest in Club Brugge's Aleksandar Stankovic.

The 20-year-old has caught the eye of a lot of clubs, and Club Brugge are aware that they aren't likely to keep the Serbian beyond the summer.

However, it's not as straightforward as Newcastle putting in a bid with the Belgian club, as Inter Milan has a buy-back clause which they are expected to activate.

Newcastle were thought to be one of the clubs lining up to buy him from Inter after they'd brought him back to Italy, as it was expected that the Serie A side could look to profit from his sale.

Stankovic prefers Inter stay

There was also a feeling that Inter may want to buy him back to keep hold of him, having seen how much he's developed during his time in Belgium.

Now, Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has shared on X that Newcastle and Brentford are keen on Stankovic, but he wants to remain at Inter.

The way Di Marzio's post is worded it suggests that it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that Inter are going to activate their buy-back clause.

"Brentford and Newcastle are interested in Aleksandar Stanković, but he wants to stay with Inter."

Confidence is dropping in this one

As a defensive midfielder who can also play at centre-back, and being just 20 years old, Stankovic looks like a perfect summer signing for the Magpies, but it looks like it's one we're going to have to miss out on.

Inter would have to pay just £20 million to bring him back to the club this summer and could easily add a few million onto that to sell him on, but it feels like they're ready to give him another shot in Serie A.

There's still a chance something can happen; otherwise, we feel Di Marzio wouldn't even have mentioned it, so we'll keep our fingers crossed.

Rumour Rating: 4/10 - We have had to knock it down a couple of points after the latest development. All signs are pointing towards staying in Italy, providing Inter are keen to keep him.