Newcastle United are very interested in signing 18-year-old Ivan Fresneda, according to Ben Jacobs.

The Lowdown: Who is Fresneda?

Fresneda has been one of the breakout stars of Europe so far this season with the 18-year-old featuring nine times for La Liga outfit Real Valladolid.

The right-back started the first game in the Spanish top flight's return following the World Cup break as they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid, with Fresneda playing the full 90 minutes against Vinicius Junior.

Valladolid are acutely aware of the interest in him and will happily cash in on their young prodigy who’s caught the eye of the Premier League side.

The Latest: Newcastle interest

Newcastle hold serious interest in the youngster who they see as a potential long-term replacement for Kieran Trippier who turns 33 next season.

Speaking on NUFC Matters, Jacobs revealed that the Magpies are unsurprisingly not the only side interested and that they have got a job on their hands to win the race.

He said: “I'm of the belief that this one is genuine in the sense that Newcastle are keen, but also quite frantic.

“That is because, as I understand it, there is a clause in the contract, that is market value, I believe based upon the potential it's high, obviously for a player of this age, but something in the region of €30m would allow a very simple transfer.

“We have to be very careful here because there's far more than one club in the race, so we have Newcastle who are very serious about Fresneda, and then there is definitely strong, strong interest from Borussia Dortmund, and also from Juventus as well.

“There is a strong belief within Newcastle, that you're getting a teenager who is extremely mature - extraordinarily so, I've been told. And therefore, over the course of the next two or three seasons, he is a player that will take very quickly to elite-level football. There's not many doubts about his maturity, about his composure, about his decision-making, about his first touch.”

The Verdict: One for the future

Newcastle’s current situation at right-back is far from a concerning one with Trippier nailing down the position, starting every game possible and captaining the side on 17 occasions in the league.

This in turn could give us an idea of what the Magpies' transfer plans are with them seemingly happy to splash the cash on high potential youngsters they can mould into a potential title-winning side in a few years' time.

It’s unclear where Fresneda will likely end up but with Trippier’s position in the side undroppable means if he’s after first-team chances then the North-East may not be the place to head.