Newcastle United have been claimed to be in the race to land a deal for Benfica midfielder and recent World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez. 

The Lowdown: Fernandez's busy season

After joining the Lisbon club in the summer, the 21-year-old has gone on to score three goals and deliver five assists in 24 appearances at the Estadio da Luz.

The youngster then went on to play a significant part in Argentina's triumphant World Cup campaign, scoring one goal and proving one assist across their seven matches in Qatar.

This has now led to Newcastle being mentioned as one of the clubs reportedly looking to secure a deal for the rising midfield star.

The Latest: Newcastle named in Fernandez transfer race

According to a recent report from Portuguese media outlet A Bola (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are one of the clubs who may have recently offered €100m (£87m) to sign Fernandez, which was reportedly turned down by Benfica.

The report adds that fellow Premier League sides Liverpool and Manchester City are also in the mix to sign the midfielder, who has been hailed as a "phenomenal" player by journalist Zach Lowy.

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The Verdict: Exciting target

In addition to his goals and assists for Benfica this season, Fernandez has also made more progressive passes (110) than any other player in the Portuguese top flight.

Furthermore, only two other players at Benfica have had more shots at goal in the current campaign than the World Cup winner (26), further highlighting his attacking talent.

 

He also ended the recent tournament in Qatar as the fourth-highest rated Argentina player with an overall performance rating of 7.06/10 from WhoScored, which shows how capable he is of performing to a high level on the biggest stage.

Taking all of that into account, if Newcastle are indeed interested in signing the midfielder, it would surely be an exciting capture for the Toon and give them a very talented player who seems to have what it takes to be a long-term stalwart for the club.