Newcastle United have initiated talks to sign Brazil international Raphinha, The Northern Echo's Scott Wilson reports. 

The lowdown

Newcastle have finalised their third signing of the summer - Lille centre-back Sven Botman. He follows left-back Matt Targett and goalkeeper Nick Pope through the door at St James' Park.

Manager Eddie Howe and director of football Dan Ashworth are now turning their attention to adding a right winger and a striker.

Raphinha is attracting a great deal of interest this summer, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona all named as suitors.

The Gunners have already seen a bid rejected, but Leeds have indicated that they won't stand in Raphinha's way if their demands are met.

The latest

Wilson took to Twitter on Monday morning to share the 'transfer latest'.

"NUFC hold an initial round of talks over Raphinha," he wrote.

This comes after Bayer Leverkusen indicated to Newcastle that they intend hold onto Moussa Diaby this summer.

In the attached story, Wilson stresses that the Magpies won't go 'anywhere near' Leeds' reported £60million asking price, but they want to remain in the running. If the other interested parties drag their feet, they could pounce.

The verdict

Newcastle know how good Raphinha is - they have first-hand experience.

In September 2021, the Brazilian scored at St James' Park, catching Newcastle out with a whipped effort that Sky Sports commentator Bill Leslie called 'lovely'.

And beyond the 13th-minute goal, it was a strong performance, as he created three chances and pitched in out of possession with two tackles (via SofaScore).

It's hard to see Raphinha choosing Newcastle over three sides who are in European competition, but if those clubs can't reach an agreement with Leeds and move onto other targets, perhaps that will open the door.