Newcastle United have submitted an offer for Lille midfielder Thiago Maia, according to Le 10 Sport.
The French outlet report that the Magpies have been showing interest in the 21-year-old for a while, and Rafa Benitez has now submitted an offer of an unknown amount for the Brazilian.
Le 10 Sport claim that Lille have knocked back the offer and informed Newcastle that they will not sell Maia at that price.
Good move for Newcastle United?
Yes.
Maia is a promising young player who has broken into the Lille first-team and impressed this season in making 37 appearances for the club.
The Brazilian midfield enforcer is still just 21 years old, and looks like he could go on to become a serious player with the right developmental path.
Newcastle would do well to snap him up at this stage in his career, with his price tag likely to be relatively low at the moment after just one season in Europe.
Nothing but Newcastle rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
It looks like Lille are not willing to do business for Maia at the price quoted by Newcastle, but that does not mean a deal is off the table.
The Ligue 1 club has had some much-publicised issues with finances in recent years, and they would surely welcome an injection of cash for Maia this summer.
Nothing but Newcastle rating: 4/10
