Newcastle would spend big in January to get the Brazilian forward who slipped through Mourinho's fingers

Newcastle is the latest club interested in signing Santos' Brazilian forward Marcos Leonardo. The Magpies have already initiated initial contacts and is now studying behind the scenes the best strategy to secure the arrival of the young forward in January.

Internally, Santos have become aware of the English club's inquiry and, therefore, hope to sell their latest gem for a fee between $22 million and $26 million. In the last transfer window, the 20-year-old goalscorer was close to moving to Italian football. He was initially a target for Lazio, but in the end, had very advanced discussions with Roma. However, the deal fell through - presumably because the Italian side's offer didn't satisfy the Brazilians.

Roma can't be serious! They want one of the best young strikers in the world - and are offering peanuts in exchange

With 21 goals in 42 official games in 2023, Marcos Leonardo is one of the few standouts for Santos in the final stretch of the Brazilian Serie A.

This year, he plays a crucial role for his club and has been involved in all of Santos' competitions, including the championship, where he is presently the second-highest scorer with 13 goals. He has also been part of the squad for the Copa Sudamericana, Copa do Brazil, and the Paulista championship.

Furthermore, Leonardo represented the Brazilian U-20 team in the World Cup, making a notable impact by scoring five goals in as many matches. Unfortunately, the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Israel. His first opportunity to play with the senior team came during a friendly match against Morocco.

He has a contract valid until 2026 and a recent promise to be negotiated with the formalization of an advantageous offer for all parties.

Newcastle have two proven attackers in the team - Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson. Of those two, the former has been struggling with injuries way too often, which prompted Eddie Howe and his staff to bolster their attacking options and deal with the gruelling fixture calendar.