Newcastle United leading £2m transfer race for Peterborough United player | OneFootball

Newcastle United are interested in signing Peterborough United forward Ricky-Jade Jones in the summer transfer window.

That's according to a report from The Sun, who say that a number of Premier League clubs are taking an interest in the 21-year-old.

Having come through the youth ranks at the club, Jones has spent the whole of his senior career to date with the Posh.

During that time, he has made 139 appearances in all competitions for the League One club, scoring 23 goals and providing eight assists in that time.

Now however, it appears as though the Peterborough man could be in for some high-profile speculation come the summer transfer window.

Newcastle keen on Peterborough United forward Ricky-Jade Jones

According to this latest update, Newcastle are currently leading the race to sign Jones in the summer transfer window.

It is thought that the Magpies were one of a number of Premier League clubs to have watched the forward during Peterborough's 2-1 EFL Trophy Final win over Wycombe Wanderers on Sunday afternoon at Wembley Stadium.

With clubs being forced to get creative amid new financial regulations, Jones is apparently viewed as one of the stars of EFL who could be targeted.

As things stand, Jones is set to enter the final year of his contract with Peterborough at the end of this season.

That could make this summer their final chance to cash in on the 21-year-old. Even so, it is thought that Peterborough director of football Barry Fry will still demand a fee of around £2 million for the sale of Jones in the summer.

Peterborough still eyeing Championship promotion

Having lifted the EFL Trophy this weekend, there is still the chance for Peterborough to claim more success this season.

Darren Ferguson's side currently sit fourth in the League One table. They are eight points adrift of the automatic promotion places with two games in hand.

As a result, they do still have a chance of claiming promotion back to the Championship before the end of the campaign.

Following their cup success, Peterborough turn their focus back to league action on Wednesday night, when they host relegation-threatened Port Vale at London Road.

Ricky-Jade Jones is a surprising target for Newcastle United

It is unlikely that many would have expected Jones to be the type of player to be linked with Newcastle heading into this summer's transfer window.

The Magpies obviously have a huge amount of money available to them, and it would be a big step-up for Jones to straight from a League One club, to one that is challenging for a place in European football.

However, this is perhaps a reflection of the financial challenges that clubs are having to work under, in order to comply with regulations.

Within that though, it does look as though Jones is a player who ought to be reasonably affordable for a club in Newcastle's position, while bringing in some useful funds for one in Peterborough's position.

At 21-years-old, there is also plenty of time for Jones to develop as well, and he does some exciting attributes, not least with his rapid pace.

There is therefore, the potential for him to develop into a useful asset in the years to come for a club like Newcastle, should he make this move.

Indeed, with Callum Wilson approaching the latter stages of his career at 32, and entering the final year of his contract at St James' Park, the Peterborough attacker could arguably become something of a long-term replacement in the years to come.