At least three reports from Brazil claimed that Eddie Howe’s side have made contact for the signing, and could soon make a bid for the youngster.

Even though that story came out of nothing, it makes a lot of sense. And we’re here to explain why Marcos Leonardo is a reasonable target for Newcastle and any other Premier League clubs.

Just like most of Santos’ home-grown talents, the striker made his debut quite early, at the age of 17. That’s why now, despite being just 20, he already has some decent experience and that shows in his game.

Over the past couple of years, Marcos Leonardo has been showing how much of a goalscorer he is. First with 21 goals in 2022, now with another 21 in 2023 so far.

The reason why he isn’t in Europe yet is simply because of Santos’ strategy. He had been heavily linked to AS Roma and Lazio last summer, but since the club had already sold Deivid Washington and Angelo to Chelsea, they couldn’t lose another attacker, even though they had promised him he’d be sold in that window.

That was a tense situation because Marcos Leonardo could well have rebelled against the Brazilian side, but he didn’t. He not only stayed and committed himself, but is also saving them from relegation, because despite how bad the team is doing, currently standing 16th in a league of 20 clubs, he’s the league’s second top goalscorer.

The striker also impressed at the U-20 World Cup this year, with five goals in five appearances, and there he definitely drew interest from many European sides.

What impresses in Marcos Leonardo the most is that he isn’t just a goalscorer. His speed and strength make him a dangerous weapon in counter-attacks, even though his height and age may fool some who won’t think he’s that strong.

There’s obviously a lot to be polished, especially in terms of finishing. But if we’re talking about the big talents in Brazil, he’s definitely one of the most promising players coming through, and Newcastle investing in him could be wise, especially with Santos reportedly demanding less than €25m.

The Magpies seem fine with their attacking options for now, and it would be good for the Brazilian to arrive with time to adapt and develop before he’s urged to deliver.

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That’s according to AS and journalist Carlos Forjanes, who say the Spanish side want to ‘assault’ the competition and potentially dominate next year’s edition.

The newspaper explains that this year’s ceremony has left the Spanish giants in ‘disbelief’ as, aside from Jude Bellingham winning an award, they were largely absent from proceedings.

They want to change that for next year and they will ‘once again evaluate their options’ to sign two of the players who could dominate it in future, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé.

Haaland currently has a release clause in his contract, something which AS dramatically label and ‘escape mechanism’ but those in charge at the Etihad have been ‘actively working’ for weeks to renew it.

Their plan is to make him the highest paid player in the Premier League and link Haaland to the club for the forseeable future without a release clause.

That is ‘increasing the degree of difficulty’ for Madrid in their attempts to lure him to Spain but they’re not giving up, particularly after watching him win the Gerd Müller trophy for the best striker.

That, coupled with him placing second in the overall rankings is something they particularly appreciate.

They see him as the ideal man to fill the hole in their forward line left behind by Karim Benzema’s departure, something they never resolved in the summer, and something who can given them an ‘increasingly greater media accent’, which they value, particularly when it comes to a ‘colossal signing’.

They are increasingly keen to get him from Manchester City and potentially partner him with Bellingham, Mbappé and even Vinicius Junior to dominate the Ballon d’Or in the years to come.

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The player even had pre-season with Mauricio Pochettino’s side, but wasn’t expected to get many chances in his team, and ended up sent to the City Ground for a season-long spell.

It turns out that he hasn’t been playing a lot at Nottingham Forest, and outlet Premier League Brasil features an interesting story on that situation.

Their report claims that Andrey is currently bothered by his situation, even though he’s keeping his head in the right place to deal with the scenario.

It’s said that despite this is being ‘complicated and evidently uncomfortable situation’, he hasn’t been complaining.

According to PL Brasil, Nottingham Forest do see some quality in the Brazilian, but don’t use him because they plan to give more time to players who are at the club under longer contracts, which is not his case.

Andrey reportedly left a good impression in his few minutes against Liverpool, and now waits for a new chance.

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It was claimed that following his season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion, Barcelona will be listening to offers for a permanent transfer, including from the Seagulls.

Now it’s time for Estadio Deportivo to share a story on the forward, this time pointing out an alternative destination for him.

The outlet writes that Fati’s entourage ‘would not see with bad eyes’ signing a ‘lucrative contract’ with clubs from Saudi Arabia.

Barcelona are not making any decisions for now, as they’d even consider using him in case he has an impressive season with Brighton.

Now with the player switching between La Liga and the Premier League, it’s interesting that Saudi football come up as a scenario, especially because he’s just 21.

Since joining Brighton, Fati has three goals and ten appearances, and is still fighting for a place in Roberto De Zerbi’s starting team.

Estadio Deportivo make it clear he’s set to have many options next summer, as even if he fails to impress at the Seagulls, there may be some good money waiting for him.

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Operating mainly as an attacking midfielder, he’s scored five goals and registered five assists from 14 games this season.

The 26-year-old’s fine form has seen Tottenham take notice and they are closely following him. The report further adds they are ‘seriously considering’ making an offer to secure his services in January.

As it stands, Spurs are still in an active planning phase, to present a ‘tempting proposal’ that matches his performances on the pitch.

It’s claimed Ange Postecoglou’s side keeping tabs on the Spain international’s impressive displays shows their genuine interest in acquiring his signature.

Méndez has a contract lasting until 2028 and Fichajes.net state he could consider leaving La Real to try a new experience in the Premier League.

Even though the outlet has repeatedly insisted the north London club could make an offer for the player, they make no mention of the figure Tottenham are willing to table or the fee needed to convince the La Liga side to sell.

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In our piece, we pointed out that it wasn’t revealed who the Red Devils had been watching, and even mentioned a few names who may have impressed the emissaries.

It turns out that as newspaper A Bola now has a story about that scouting mission, they claim Manchester United’s target was Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

The outlet writes that the Red Devils keep their old interest in the player, and could make a new move for him in the January transfer window.

It’s said the goalkeeping position is one of the ‘more deficient’ at Manchester United, and Costa is the main candidate for that. THe club are set to make new scouting trips to watch the Portuguese star and move for him either in January or next summer, while Porto demand €75m for his transfer.

Well, it’s always interesting when Portuguese reports reveal who the scouts from English clubs had been watching, but in this case, it’s hard to find any sense in what they claim.

Manchester United have just spent over €50m on signing Andre Onana from Inter Milan, and despite the Cameroonian’s mistakes in his first months, his improvement has been clear, as he made many important saves in the derby against Manchester City, not to mention the penalty save against Copenhagen.

Even if Erik ten Hag was thinking of keeping Onana on the bench for a while, the Red Devils signed Altay Bayındır from Fenerbahce this summer.

So spending €75m on a new goalkeeper would be one of the strangest moves Manchester United could make. It’s well known they watch lots of games in the Portuguese league, and Costa may continue to impress there, but definitely not enough for an investment in the January window.

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That’s according to former Dutch winger Andy van der Meyde, who says it would be great for Ten Haag to return to former club Ajax and rebuild them instead.

Ten Hag currently finds the pressure increasing on himself after a dismal start to the season for Manchester United in the Premier League and the Champions League.

Sunday saw their latest disappointing defeat at the hands of fierce rivals Manchester City, who secured a comfortable 3-0 win at Old Trafford.

That was the latest to raise questions about Ten Hag and what he is doing at the club, with many debating what Manchester United want to be or how they plan to get there after two big summers of spending.

For many the belief is that despite Ten Hag making big major purchases, the club are no closer to being challengers than they were before his arrival, even if they did qualify for the Champions League last season.

Van der Meyde is not surprised by that, insisting it takes more than merely spending big sums to create a winning team.

“Let him come back to Ajax and rebuild a team. That would be great,” he said.

“Things can move so quickly in football. You cannot buy a team together. You have to forge a team.”

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That Uruguayan has been speaking to Sport 890 in his homeland, relayed by El Pais, regarding his international future under Marcelo Bielsa.

Bentancur has been out injured since February with a cruciate ligament rupture that saw him spend 245 days on the treatment table.

He returned on Friday in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, playing a minute in the second half and making his long-awaited return from the injury absence.

His plan is now to get back to full fitness as soon as possible and compete for a place at Tottenham, where he will have to work hard to get Ange Postecoglou’s favourite pairing of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr out of the team.

His focus is also on the national team, though, and he’s revealed he was even ready to go play for Uruguay in September, despite still being out injured.

“The national team is always in contact with me. I always have the hope and desire to go,” he said.

“I have to show that I’m fine. I’m ready to play, I’m no longer injured. If Marcelo Bielsa calls me, I’m there. I had two talks with him about the position I was going to play in and what he wanted from me.

“Then I continued having contact with the doctors. If it was up to me, I would go on the double date in September. The desire and willingness are there.”

The question now is whether Bentancur can force himself back into Tottenham’s team and re-establish himself as the key player he was previously.

That will certainly be difficult given the relationship that has formed between Sarr and Bissouma this season and the performances they’ve put in.

With Tottenham also flying high at the top of the league, it seems unlikely that Postecoglou will be rushing to change his team anytime soon either.

There may be a point where Bentancur looks elsewhere, and it appears there is one transfer he would particularly like at some point, a move to Peñarol.

“I am a fan, and I would love to play for the club,” he added.

“Federico Valverde is crazy. If it were up to him, he would come back now. Two out of three times tells me to play together and try to fight for a Copa Libertadores. The dream is there.”

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The Uruguayan has been speaking to Sport 890 in his homeland after making his long-anticipated return from injury over the weekend.

The midfielder has spent the last eight months on the treatment table after suffering a cruciate ligament rupture in February of this year.

That’s seen him spend 254 days on the treatment table and miss 28 Tottenham games to date, including their superb start to the season under new manager Ange Postecoglou.

He made his return to the first team in Friday’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, coming on for a minute in the second half of the eventual victory.

That was his first step in his return to full fitness and competing for a starting role, providing competition to the new favoured midfield duo of Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma.

That’s a battle the Uruguayan is ready to take up it seems, revealing that the medical team at Tottenham have had to hold him back as it is, with his return a month ahead of the initial schedule.

“That February I finished the game, I walked away. When I told the doctor that I felt a crack during the match, he was honest and said it could be the ligament,” he told 100% Deporte.

“I didn’t suffer during recovery. The knee reacted very well to all the stimuli and increased loads during the process. They only took fluids from me three times.

“The last two months my subconscious began to win over me because I was already ready to play. Today they changed the deadlines to avoid relapses, they ask you for almost nine months and they didn’t want me to return until November 21.”

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Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Matheus Cunha is one of those who’ve been called up for the position, but he hasn’t been given a chance to start under Fernando Diniz so far, and is waiting for the opportunity to try to impress the new boss.

The player was now interviewed by Globo Esporte about that situation, and talked about the big competition there is to win such a wanted place in the national team.

“There’s a lot of competition in the national team. There are a lot of quality players fighting for space, and I realise that I have to be at my best to get a place in the squad,” Matheus Cunha told Globo Esporte.

Despite that, Cunha claimed to be confident about his potential to earn the national team’s number nine in the near future.

“I know the qualities I have, what I can bring to the team and to the proposal that Professor Fernando Diniz has for the team.”

The player also claimed that he’ll always play for Wolves thinking of drawing the national team’s attention.

“I’m going to keep working day in, day out and doing my best here with Wolves, because I know I’ll be watched.”

Since Diniz’s arrival, the striker made three appearances, but was only brought in at the end of the games, and didn’t contribute to any goals.

Featuring for Wolves this season, Cunha has two goals and one assist in 11 games, having scored against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.

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