Newcastle prepare bid for Wolfsburg midfielder Felix Nmecha

Newcastle United are looking to get their summer spending spree up and running as they prepare a surprise bid for Wolfsburg midfielder Felix Nmecha.

According to the Telegraph, the 22-year-old attacking midfielder, who has previously been linked with Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund, is expected to cost around £15 million.

Newcastle’s interest in Nmecha is thought to be spontaneous, as the German international was not among their summer targets, although they have sent scouts to watch him on several occasions.

Nmecha progressed through the youth ranks at Manchester City but failed to establish himself in the first team set-up before joining Wolfsburg on a free transfer in the summer of 2021.

After a massively underwhelming debut campaign in the Bundesliga, where he picked up just one assist in 18 appearances across all competitions, the youngster found his feet last season.

He scored three times and set up six in 32 games as Niko Kovac’s side narrowly missed out on a European berth by a one-point margin.

Nmecha is versatile enough to feature in the attacking areas or drop into the central midfield role, and his style of play has reportedly appealed to Magpies boss Eddie Howe who is keen on his signature.

Despite returning the Tyneside outfit to the Champions League, the English manager will be limited in the transfer market amid serious Financial Fair Play concerns.

Howe has been handed a £75m transfer budget and can only push the figure to £100m if he sanctions player sales.

Despite their financial limitations, 45-year-old manager is keen to add at least two high-profile players to his squad this summer, with Leicester City’s James Maddison at the top of his wish list.

They will face competition from Tottenham Hotspur for the England international, who is poised to leave King Power Stadium this summer but will have to fork out at least £40m for the midfielder.

Newcastle are also considering a move for OGC Nice midfielder Kephren Thuram who will cost around £30m and is attracting interest from Liverpool.