The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) are reportedly now eyeing up a move to sign Benoit Badiashile for Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Howe backed

Eddie Howe has seen plenty of backing from the new owners since replacing Steve Bruce at St. James' Park, with the North East club being the highest spenders in the Premier League in the January transfer window.

They have followed that up with the permanent signing of Matt Targett from Aston Villa, as well as the captures of Nick Pope and Sven Botman, and it does not look like they are going to stop there in terms of summer expenditure.

The Latest: Badiashile eyed

As per French outlet Media Foot, the Tynesiders are now eyeing up a move for Badiashile, although they may face competition from Bayer Leverkusen for his signature.

AS Monaco currently value the six-foot-four central defender at €50m (£42m), which would be a new club-record deal for the Magpies.

The Verdict: Unlikely

The Toon have already brought in centre-back Botman from Lille this window, and considering that they also signed Dan Burn from Brighton and Hove Albion in January, it seems unlikely that they would go for another centre-half at this stage, especially for a club-record fee.

There is no doubt that Badiashile would be a great addition, having been dubbed 'very fast' and 'very good technically' by Monaco Vice President Oleg Petrov, while Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig has also sung his praises.

However, the Frenchman is still just 21 years of age, and so there is no rush for NUFC to get him in now, as there will likely be an opportunity to sign him later into the project.