Newcastle transfer news: Eddie Howe is keen to pay £21.5m to Juventus for the next Lionel Messi

While a lot of the Newcastle transfer news will centre around the acquisition of a new goalkeeper amid the recent Nick Pope injury, Eddie Howe is hopeful to strengthen in other areas too. Let's not forget that we are undergoing an injury crisis, so to strengthen the depth in multiple positions is the ultimate goal of Howe and the board in the new year.

Newcastle transfer news: Eddie Howe is keen to pay £21.5m to Juventus for the next Lionel Messi

According to a report by Gazzetta dello Sport, Newcastle are interested in signing the 20-year-old Juventus talent from Argentina, Matias Soule. The winger, who is currently on loan at Frosinone, has big boots to fill as he is one of the Argentina attackers met with the impossible task of replicating the international success achieved by Lionel Messi when he retires.

However, there doesn't seem to be a future for the winger at The Old Lady, where he is deemed surplus to requirements among their plethora of attacking talents. With this in mind, it is the ultimate goal for the player and his agent to achieve a move elsewhere, preferably to the Premier League which is the greatest division in the world.

According to JuveLive.it (via Sport Witness), Juventus value Soule at around €25m (£21.5m) and Newcastle are willing to pay such a fee. The report states that Eddie Howe and Newcastle are just waiting for a nod of approval from the Italian giants' director, when they will then proceed by pursuing their transfer target.

Newcastle United are without Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy on the wing as both players are out for a long time due to injury. They are just two players out of action for Eddie Howe amid his injury crisis, with concerns that Anthony Gordon could be next considering he is overworked in recent fixtures.

What do you make of this Newcastle transfer news?