Newcastle United are thought to be interested in a move for Santos centre-forward Marcos Leonardo, according to a recent report from TEAMtalk.

The Mags have struggled with injuries to their strikers this season – both Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak have spent spells on the sidelines. As such, bringing Leonardo to the club would give them such much-needed depth in this position.

Leonardo could join Newcastle for as little as £17.5 million, as this is his minimum fee release clause – it is expected that add-ons could be included in a potential deal, however.

Who else, besides Newcastle, are interested in a move for Marcos Leonardo?

Newcastle are not the only Premier League team who are believed to be lining up a move for the Brazilian hitman – West Ham United are also named as being one of the interested parties.

While the Hammers do not have Newcastle’s financial muscle, they may be able to offer him more first-team football. Additionally, both Real Madrid and Roma have been linked with a move for the player. In particular, Roma made three separate offers for Leonardo in the summer transfer window, all of which were rejected by Santos.

What kind of player is Marcos Leonardo?

Marcos Leonardo is not your stereotypical Brazilian striker – what he lacks in technical ability, he makes up for with an indomitable work rate and an aggressiveness off the ball. Despite this, he is a deft finisher with plenty of goals to his name.

So far this season, Leonardo has scored 21 goals in 45 games across all competitions for Santos. In addition to this, he has also accumulated a tally of four assists.

When asked to name his footballing inspirations, Leonardo said: “Cristiano Ronaldo, who has always been my idol, and I always dream of playing with him. The first is him. The King [Pele], there’s no way, I don’t even have words. If I played with him, I would learn a lot. And [Lionel] Messi.

“There are several, but as you only gave me three options, there are several that I dream of playing, there is Ricardo Oliveira, Neymar, there are several.”