Newcastle United have reportedly identified Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams as an alternative transfer target to Bayer Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby.
With the Magpies currently sitting in third place in the Premier League table, they are on course to qualify for the Champions League.
The demand of balancing European competition with domestic football will require Newcastle to strengthen their squad ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
The Magpies have reportedly identified the likes of James Maddison, Mason Mount and Kieran Tierney as potential transfer targets.
Diaby was also believed to be on their wishlist, but Newcastle have now cooled their interest in the France international.
According to Daily Mail, Newcastle are now turning their attention to Williams, who rejected the chance to join Aston Villa in January.
The Villans could still revive their interest and rival Newcastle for the striker's signature in the summer transfer window.
Williams is set to enter the last 12 months of his contract, but prising him away from San Mames will still cost a significant fee.
The report claims that Newcastle will have to activate his £50m release clause if they want to secure his services this summer.
Williams has worked his way up through the youth ranks to the Athletic Bilbao senior side, where he plays alongside his older brother Inaki Williams.
The forward has featured regularly during the 2022-23 campaign, scoring nine goals and providing six assists in 39 appearances.
In total, the 20-year-old has played 81 games across all competitions for the Basque outfit, registering 12 goals and seven assists.
Williams has also been capped eight times by the Spanish national side, and he featured in all four of his country's games at the 2022 World Cup. body check tags ::
