Newcastle United are reportedly setting their sights on signing Leon King in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Emerging talent

At just 17 years of age, King is one of the emerging talents in Scottish football, having already made his senior debut for Glasgow Rangers.

The club’s coaches regard him as a 'huge talent' and are 'convinced' that he can establish himself in the first team at Ibrox in the coming years (Football Insider).

However, he is out of contract in the summer, so that presents a good opportunity for the St James' Park outfit to sign him.

The Latest: Newcastle set sights on King

As per Football Insider, both Newcastle and Manchester United have now 'set their sights' on the Gers sensation ahead of the January transfer window.

Sources from Ibrox have revealed that there is 'fresh doubt' over the teenager's future, and he could even be sold for a compensation fee of around £250,000.

The Tyneside club are 'interested' in opening talks with King over a pre-contract agreement in January ahead of a potential summer move.

The Verdict: One for the future

King is a player for the future, so it would be a smart idea for the Magpies to sign him now before he develops further and attracts interest from other clubs.

The defender clearly has a lot of promise, as he has also played for the Scotland national team at youth level.

The Newcastle Academy could then use and develop him, or he could be sent out on loan to get further experience playing men's football, but it is clear that there are multiple possibilities with this potential signing.

In other news, NUFC are willing to pay big money for this rising star