Newcastle United will have a close-up view of Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane when the two sides meet at St James' Park this weekend, with the 20-year-old valued at £87m.
Scouting opportunity
The Magpies are stepping up their transfer business with just over two weeks of the window remaining. A full-back and a centre midfielder are the priorities for sporting director Ross Wilson as he looks to give manager Matthias Jaissle a squad strong enough to compete in the Premier League this season.
However, United will also look to add at least one attacking player to the ranks before the window closes, with Jaissle still assessing the players he has at his disposal.
Kofane's rise
One forward they have kept tabs on is Leverkusen's Kofane, with the player's agent claiming that the Magpies are one of several clubs monitoring his progress. Kofane had a breakthrough season in the Bundesliga, scoring seven times and producing nine assists. It was his debut campaign after a £5m move from Spanish side Albacete.
He has since been linked with a move to Arsenal, who are described as being in 'pole position' for the Cameroon international. Kofane's agent was asked which other clubs are interested in him, and replied: “Chelsea, Newcastle, Everton, Brentford, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
“I think it is too early to say, but due to the fact that the player speaks Spanish, like Mikel Arteta, and that William Saliba is originally from Cameroon, I would say Arsenal are in pole position.”
Agent's assessment
He added: “Arsenal’s interest is genuine. The manager (Mikel Arteta) likes him very much. Yes, there is contact between me and Arsenal. But their focus right now is to win the league — from there everything will start moving.
“I have never had as many calls in my life as now regarding Kofane. Right now, he is the best U21 striker in Europe and the most complete one.
"He has speed, technique, defends very well and is strong in the air. It is very difficult to find all these attributes in one striker. He is a €100million player."
Chance to impress
Newcastle's recruitment team, and Jaissle, will have a close-up view of Kofane when Leverkusen take on the Magpies at St James' Park today in the first game of the VisitMalta Weekender. The player has faced the Magpies before, coming on as a half-time substitute in the Champions League clash between the two sides back in December.
It was his performance against Arsenal later on in the same competition that thrust Kofane further into the spotlight, with the 6ft 2in striker producing an eye-catching display. Leverkusen are believed to have slapped a €100m (£87m) price tag on his head this summer, but Newcastle will have a chance to see whether he is worth that fee.
