Newcastle United are reportedly on the verge of signing Odense winger Yankuba Minteh.
Multiple outlets including BBC Sport and The Athletic claim the Magpies are ‘close’ to signing the 18-year-old.
90Min has claimed that Newcastle have won the race for Minteh ahead of several Premier League sides.
The likes of Brighton and Everton, plus Ajax, Feyenoord, Marseille and Club Brugge were reportedly in pursuit.
Newcastle have reportedly struck a £6million deal with Odense for Minteh, who they’ve been monitoring for months.
Minteh moved to Europe from Gambian outfit Steve Biko FC last summer.
He impressed on his debut campaign, registering six goals and seven assists from just 21 outings.
The Athletic speculates that Newcastle will probably loan the young Gambian out next season.
What can Newcastle fans expect from Yankuba Minteh?
Football Talent Scout published an in-depth scouting report on Minteh in November last year.
They compared him to Moussa Diaby, a player who has been linked with Newcastle of late.
He has many ‘very strong’ aspects to his game.
These include pace, acceleration, dynamism, dribbling, technique, ball control, athleticism and agility.
Minteh’s creativity, off-the-ball movement, first touch and tackling abilities are also ‘strong’.
They wrote that he’s a ‘great dribbler who loves to have the ball at his feet and try spectacular things’.
However, he ‘can be a little bit nonchalant and overambitious on the ball sometimes’.
FTS’s ‘potential’ rating is 8.5 out of 10. They see him as ‘first-team material in a top European league’.
If all goes well, Newcastle fans will soon be welcoming a top talent in their ranks.
And while we may not see him in the first team just yet, it’ll be exciting to see how he develops.