Newcastle United have tracking Arsenal defender William Saliba for 18 months.
The French centre-back was signed by Arsenal in the summer of 2019 for £25m, but was immediately sent back to St. Etienne on loan.
It was expected Saliba would challenge for playing time for the 2020/21 season.
But he failed to impress Mikel Arteta and was subsequently sent on loan to Nice in January this year.
Reports have claimed Arteta is open to loaning Saliba again this season, with Newcastle touted as a potential option.
And local Tyneside outlet the Chronicle has revealed Toon have been fans of Saliba for a year-and-a-half.