Newcastle well placed to agree Davide Frattesi transfer after £26.1m development

Newcastle United appear to be well placed to complete the signing of Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi.

The 26-year-old has been linked with a move to the Premier League on several occasions in recent years, but the move could now finally be about to materialise.

Newcastle are also being linked with Ruben Neves ahead of January, as the centre of the midfield is a key area of priority for the North East outfit to address in the coming months.

Eddie Howe's side have seen their campaign plagued by inconsistency so far, and he will be desperate to add reinforcements to the squad in a bid to push for European qualification in the second half of the season.

Newcastle have Davide Frattesi open goal in the summer

Newcastle's owners recently injected another £45million into the club ahead of January, which should help to fund their business for the next few transfer windows.

That money could ultimately be used to help bring Frattesi to Tyneside, with his future at the San Siro now looking increasingly grave.

Both Inter and the player himself are adamant that he has no future at his current club, according to Gazzetta Dello Sport.

There is interest from the likes of Newcastle, Roma, Juventus and Napoli ahead of the winter window, but the player himself is keen to remain in Italy ahead of next summer's World Cup.

• Frattesi has started just one game in Serie A so far this season
• He notched 15 goals for Inter across the previous two seasons
• He earned 33 senior caps for Italy, scoring eight goals in that time

However, by the time the summer comes around, the Magpies may face an open goal in terms of their ability to land the Italian international.

Roma and Napoli are both understood to be facing financial issues, while Juventus spent heavily last summer.

With that in mind, the competition may well thin for Howe's Newcastle to come in and strike a deal that satisfies Inter's £26.1m asking price.

That figure is already over £8m lower than their previous price tag from last summer, and could easily decrease again, leaving the door firmly ajar for the Premier League outfit.

Frattesi move to surely spell the end for Joe Willock

Joe Willock is fighting for his future at Newcastle ahead of the January window, as the team have arguably outgrown his level in recent years.

The formidable midfield trio of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Sandro Tonali have largely kept him out of the starting XI this term, and with Lewis Miley constantly developing, he has been pushed to the fringes of the squad.

Given the quality of Howe's other options, a move for Frattesi would surely result in an exit elsewhere in the group, and that would likely mean the writing is on the wall for Willock.

He has delivered some important moments for the Magpies over the years, but as the team looks to progress towards becoming Champions League regulars, he is unlikely to be of the necessary standard for much longer.