Newcastle United have a huge summer transfer window ahead of them as Dan Ashworth attempts to build a squad that will be capable of competing in the Champions League in the 2023/24 campaign.
Eddie Howe has stressed the need for the club to have two capable XIs next term and this means that quality and depth needs to be added to the group over the coming months.
90min recently published an article revealing that the Magpies are interested in a host of players from the three sides that were relegated from the Premier League; Leicester City, Leeds United and Southampton.
The report named the likes of James Ward-Prowse, James Maddison and Harvey Barnes, but also added in Saints central midfielder Carlos Alcaraz, who could cost up to £25m.
How did Carlos Alcaraz perform this season?
He arrived in England in January, moving away from his native Argentina for the first time, and showed plenty of promise in spite of his team's relegation to the Championship.
The 20-year-old, who talent scout Jacek Kulig described as a "playmaker", chipped in with four goals and two assists in 13 starts in the Premier League and Ashworth could land Howe an alternative option and eventual dream heir to Englishman Joe Willock.
Howe's current number eight produced three goals and six assists in 35 top-flight outings for the Magpies in 2022/23 as he displayed his attacking quality from the middle of the park.
The former Arsenal man, who turns 24 this year, also completed 1.1 dribbles and made 2.2 tackles & interceptions per game – comfortably among the better performers within the team – which shows that the gem has the quality to make an impact at both ends of the pitch and in transition by beating opposition players with the ball after breaking up an attack.
Alcaraz, who has spent the last six months adjusting to English football as a young player coming over from Argentina, only completed 0.7 dribbles and made 0.7 tackles and interceptions per outing in the Premier League for the Saints.
However, within 11 starts in the Copa de la Liga for Racing Club in 2022, the youngster made 1.6 defensive interventions and completed 1.7 dribbles per match, which suggests that the potential is there for the ace to be a combative, all-action, midfielder who can make contributions in defence and going forward once he finds his feet.
The £25m maestro has already proven himself capable of scoring and assisting goals in the English top flight and Howe could spend time working with him on the training pitch to develop the defensive side of his game to fit in with Newcastle's high-pressing system.
If the 20-year-old can adapt to that whilst improving all of the already promising aspects of his midfield play, then he could be a dream heir to Willock's position in the middle of the park in the future whilst being an excellent alternative in the short term.