Newcastle: PIF have held "meetings" with £18m target at St James' Park | OneFootball

Newcastle United have held “meetings” with RB Salzburg midfielder Luka Sucic, according to journalist Jacque Talbot.

What’s the latest news involving Sucic?

The journalist revealed earlier this month that Eddie Howe’s side were actively pursuing a deal for the 19-year-old Croatian, and that their interest in him dated back to last year.

It was suggested that the Tyneside club broached the subject of signing him back in the January transfer window when they met with intermediaries on behalf of German defender Nico Schlotterbeck, who shares the same representatives as Sucic.

What did Talbot say about Newcastle’s interest in Sucic?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Talbot has now delivered an update on that situation, revealing that the Magpies have had meetings with the 19-year-old, and that Howe sees him as someone who fits the profile of player he wants at St James’ Park.

He said: “It’s gone a bit cold to be honest. I was told they had meetings with him and had him on the list. They wanted to bring him in. For Eddie Howe, one of the positions he wants to fill is a central midfielder who’s quite young, can come in quite cheap and be able to help build.”

Sucic and Bruno Guimaraes could be Newcastle’s future

Having pulled off a major in bringing Bruno Guimaraes in from Lyon back in the January transfer window, Howe is no doubt searching for the player who could be the Brazilian’s long-term partner in the Newcastle engine room.

And in Sucic, they could find exactly that man.

The Croatian has been tipped for a bright future by former Bayern Munich forward, Ivica Olic, who had this to say after the teenager’s call-up to the senior squad towards the back end of last year: “Luka had several great performances in the Champions League, he starts in the Austrian championship, he has been under our radar for a long time, and we thought about him at the last gathering.

“In that position, the competition is the biggest in Croatia, and it is not easy to be inside. However, he played great yesterday, he was one of the best, and I think he is a quality and potent player who has a great future ahead of him if injuries bypass him.”

Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, the 19-year-old is clearly set for great things based on his performances thus far at club level, and as Olic says, his caps for a senior Croatia side blessed with world-class midfield talent like Luka Modric is a testament to his ability.

Able to play deeper in midfield, or even as a number ten, Sucic showed a really impressive knack of finding the back of the net last season, scoring 11 goals in 44 games across all competitions, with one of those coming in a Champions League game against Sevilla.

It’s a deal that would surely have Newcastle fans excited, and with Talbot saying the trail seems to have gone cold, one that PIF must surely look to reignite in the coming days and weeks.