Journalist Lee Ryder has admitted that Newcastle United have been in contact with Ivan Fresneda's agent within the last 24 hours.

The Lowdown: Recruitment yet to kick into gear

Newcastle have been very quiet this month with no players incoming and the only big exit which appears to be on the cards is Chris Wood who could soon become a Nottingham Forest player until the end of the season.

With less than two weeks of the transfer window remaining, however, that could soon change, with Toon links to the likes of Scott McTominay, Youri Tielemans and Fresneda, with the latter only seen as backup for Kieran Trippier at the moment.

Fresneda is said to be attracting interest from other big clubs including Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund, although it appears as though the English clubs may be ahead in the race as his agent has been in the country recently, according to Ryder.

The Latest: Progress being made on Fresneda

While speaking on the Everything is Black and White podcast, Ryder revealed that the club and Fresneda's agent were in contact yesterday, which created a flurry of activity.

He said: "I think Newcastle are still very much active in that transfer. His agent is obviously over here now, and I think it's caused a flurry of excitement with his agency and there was some contacts with them yesterday."

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The Verdict: Fresneda would be a sign of the times

For so long under former owner Mike Ashley, Newcastle were building just for the here and now, if at all at times. Whereas, under PIF and the guidance of Dan Ashworth, they certainly have an eye on the future.

This has been highlighted by the signings of players such as Alex Murphy and Garang Kuol, as well as having interest in players like Chris Rigg from Sunderland and fellow youngster Fresneda from Real Valladolid.

Fresneda is still very young and has just 11 first-team appearances under his belt, but with a price tag of £13m said to be over his head, it seems to be a no-brainer as to why Newcastle are keen to land a promising young talent and get him learning from Trippier.