Newcastle United are reportedly 'keeping a close eye' on Luis Diaz ahead of a potential transfer.

The Lowdown: Catching the eye

The 24-year-old is certainly starting to make a name for himself in world football, with 11 goals and a further two assists in 16 games across all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt).

His FC Porto team-mate Sergio Oliveira described the Colombia international as an ‘extraordinary’ player after a very impressive display in the Champions League against AC Milan in recent weeks.

There is sure to be a large number of clubs from around Europe circling around for his signature if he maintains this kind of form.

The Latest: Newcastle interest

As per O Jogo (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are now 'keeping a close eye' on Diaz ahead of a potential move, and it is 'increasingly unlikely' that he will stay beyond the end of his contract, which runs to 2024.

There is an €80m (£68.3m) release clause included in his current deal, and former Porto striker Jackson Martinez claims that the clause 'will be paid with ease'.

The Verdict: Sign fast!

With an abundance of top European clubs likely to be fighting it out for Diaz, the Magpies need to pounce, and fast.

The fee should not be a problem for the club's new mega-rich owners, so the main obstacle would be to try and persuade the 24-year-old to move to Tyneside.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium will surely have ambitions of eventually winning the Premier League and becoming regular participants in the Champions League, so they can at least sell Diaz the project should they end up paying his release clause.

If they wait too long, he will almost certainly get snapped up within the next year or so, and the Magpies simply cannot afford to miss out on signing a winger in red-hot form who will only get better.

In other news, find out which £15.4m-rated 'hero' NUFC are targeting