Newcastle United reportedly have Ajax central midfielder Edson Alvarez on their 'radar' ahead of this summer.

The Lowdown: Midfielder wanted in January

It was clear that Newcastle wanted to sign a midfielder in January, having been linked with moves for the likes of Chelsea's Conor Gallagher and Sheffield United's Sander Berge.

They then ended up letting Jonjo Shelvey go to Nottingham Forest, and did not replace him, so it is likely that they will try again to reinforce the centre of the park this summer.

The Latest: Alvarez on 'radar'

Writing in his latest column for CaughtOffside, CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs says that the St. James' Park outfit have Alvarez 'loosely on their radar' ahead of this summer, but Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have all also held interest in the past:

“Edson Alvarez is another name who could be on the move this summer.

“Chelsea came close to signing the Ajax midfielder last summer, but the club refused a move despite Alvarez pushing for it. Todd Boehly did tell Alvarez at the time he’d be back, but never returned.

“This is understandable given a new recruitment team came in and the club became obsessed with Enzo Fernandez. Plus, Denis Zakaria impressed before his injury and will return to full fitness soon.

“Arsenal considered Alvarez in January to a degree, but it became quickly clear Ajax didn’t want to do mid-season business. Liverpool have looked at Alvarez before and chose not to proceed and Newcastle are another club to have him at least loosely on their radar.”

The Verdict: Get him in?

At 25 years of age, Alvarez would be the perfect long-term replacement for Shelvey, and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League this season could give them the edge over the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool in terms of chasing his signature, given their respective positions in the Premier League table.

Lauded as a ‘monster‘ for the Mexico national team by journalist Felipe Cardenas, Alvarez boasts 61 caps for his country, and played twice at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

At club level, he has established himself as one of the best midfielders in Europe at Ajax, ranking in the top 17% for a number of key metrics over the past year, and would give Eddie Howe another quality option in the middle of the park alongside the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton.