Newcastle United are keen to take on midfielder Nacim Boukhelifa after he turned down a contract offer from French club Lens.
The 19-year old is training with the Magpies and is in line to win a contract with the club if he does well according to manager Chris Hughton.
"He is a lad that we've got on trial at the moment and he is training with the development squad," Hughton told the Sunday Sun.
"We're taking a closer look at him and if he is good enough then we'll assess the situation. At the moment we're keeping an eye on him and seeing how he progresses.
"What will happen at development level throughout the season is that we will have promising players in on trial and the young French lad is one of those that we've decided to take a look at."
