Newcastle United have indicated that 'they don't want to miss out' on signing Braga forward Roger Fernandes, according to Portuguese newspaper A Bola (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown

The 16-year-old left winger has already made his first-team breakthrough with his club. Last season he made 11 appearances under Carlos Carvalhal, including seven in the Portuguese top flight.

Under post-Brexit rules, Premier League clubs are no longer allowed to sign EU players before the age of 18. That means Newcastle would have to wait until January 2024 before Fernandes could play for them.

The latest

The report from A Bola (via Sport Witness) explains that Newcastle face plenty of competition for Fernandes.

Borussia Dortmund and Ajax have already seen bids of €10m (£8.5m) and €12m (£10.2m) respectively rejected by Braga, while Atletico Madrid could be the next to table an offer 'in the coming days'.

However, in their dialogue with the Primeira Liga outfit, Newcastle have 'guaranteed' that they'll pay more money so that they don't lose out. The report also notes that Fernandes' contract includes a €40m (£34m) release clause.

The verdict

Fernandes looks like a truly special talent. It's impressive enough that he has reached double figures for first-team matches at the age of 16, but he has also opened his goalscoring account at that level.

The Portuguese forward netted twice off the bench in a 6-0 win over Arouca in December, having previously bagged a goal against Moitense in the cup aged just 15. Unsurprisingly, he's the youngest goalscorer in the history of Portuguese senior football.

Carvalhal told Sky Sports that he searched for a flaw in the player's game before promoting him but found 'absolutely zero'. He explained that this was 'unbelievable' and said that Fernandes is 'something special'.

You can see why Newcastle are so desperate to win the race for the 16-year-old's signature.