An agreement between Newcastle United and Santos Laguna for the signing of Santiago Munoz could be imminent, according to Record Mexico (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

The striker has made 19 appearances for the Liga MX outfit, scoring three goals and providing three assists (via Transfermarkt). The 19-year-old, who was born in Texas, has also been capped 16 times by Mexico at under-17 level.

It's unclear whether Munoz would go straight into the first team on Tyneside or start out with the Under-23s. The Premier League 2 second division side have already strengthened their ranks this summer by signing the likes of Remi Savage from Liverpool and Charlie Wiggett from Chelsea.

The latest

Newcastle and Santos Laguna are in advanced negotiations for Munoz and could reach an agreement on fee 'in the next few hours', according to Record Mexico (via Sport Witness).

The teenager doesn't intend to renew his contract and has duly been frozen out of the first team picture at his current club.

The verdict

One possible area of concern here is securing a work permit. Contributing factors include the number of international appearances, the quality of the selling club and the stature of the league itself.

You'd hope that Newcastle have done their due diligence here and that no major issues will be encountered if they complete the 19-year-old's signing.

They'll obviously be keen to avoid a scenario whereby Munoz has to be repeatedly sent out on loan as he waits for the greenlight to make his Magpies debut. If that happens, his evident potential may not be realised on Tyneside.

In other news, one of the 'big six' clubs may revisit their interest in this Newcastle ace.