A transfer specialist has revealed that Ousmane Dembele is the 'first name' on Newcastle United's list ahead of a potential move to St. James' Park.

The Lowdown: Dembele promise

Dembele was a player of such promise when he was first breaking through at Borussia Dortmund, earning him a whopping £121.5m move to FC Barcelona back in the summer transfer window of 2017.

His early spells with the Catalan giants even earned praise from the great Lionel Messi, who dubbed his then teammate a 'phenomenon'.

The Latest: Wanted on Tyneside

As per Pedro Almeida, who is verified on Twitter as an 'insider specialising in transfers', Dembele is the 'first name' that consortium member Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) wants to bring to the North East.

However, a move in January seems unlikely, as he would prefer to sign the France international as a free agent, given that his current deal at the Camp Nou expires in the summer.

The Verdict: Sign

Dembele needs to rejuvenate his career, as he has never really been able to hit the ground running since arriving at Barca, with 30 goals and 21 assists recorded in 118 games in total over all competitions across the last four seasons (Transfermarkt).

However, at 24 years of age, he still has the potential to fulfil the promise that he had early on in his career, and could combine well with fellow French winger Allan Saint-Maximin.

Nonetheless, to get him for free, given that he currently has a market value of £45m, would represent exceptional business by the Tyneside club.

In other news, find out which 'fantastic striker' is now on NUFC's list here!