Newcastle United have made a 'request for information' about Lille's Renato Sanches, according to Calciomercato

The lowdown

The 24-year-old helped Lille to see off Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title last season, but they have struggled so far this term. With just four games to go until the halfway point of the season, they find themselves down in 13th place, placing their hopes of European qualification in serious doubt.

The Portuguese maestro missed seven of the first eight games through a meniscal injury and has been limited to four league starts so far in 2021/22 (via Transfermarkt).

Another Premier League club in Wolves actually tried to sign the midfielder on loan in the final hours of the summer transfer window (via The Athletic).

The latest

According to Calciomercato, Sanches' agent Jorge Mendes apparently wants to arrange a move away from Lille as soon as January. The Ligue 1 champions have set his asking price at €35m, which equates to about £29.8m.

Serie A giants AC Milan have identified the 24-year-old as a potential replacement for Franck Kessie, but Newcastle, who have made enquiries over the past few weeks, can offer him a significantly larger pay packet thanks to PIF's lucrative takeover.

The verdict

Sanches would be quite a coup for Newcastle. He may be remembered on these shores as a Swansea City flop, but he's come a long way since that ignominious spell in south Wales back in 2017/18.

He was hailed as 'terrific' for his performance against reigning world champions France at Euro 2020 and has continued to shine on the biggest stages.

Tutto Mercato Web (via Sempre Milan) showed him with praise following his display in last week's Champions League victory over RB Salzburg, dubbing him a "giant" who was "physically and technically perfect".

However, the worry for Newcastle is his alarming injury record, and that ought to make them think twice about a near-£30m move for the Portugal midfielder.

In other news, this £9m-valued ace could leave St James' Park in January