Newcastle were “ready to invest” €40m (£34m) in Atalanta midfielder Ederson before the transfer window closed, according to TMW.

The Italian website reports that the Magpies tried “several times” to secure the Brazilian’s signature last month. There was even one occasion when Chief Scout Steve Nickson travelled to Bergamo to try and make a deal happen.

However, Atalanta were not interested in selling Ederson midway through the season, and they were prepared to refuse any offers for the player.

TMW go as far as to claim that Eddie Howe’s side would have been willing to go even higher than €40m in their attempts to sign the 24-year-old if they were given any encouragement that a deal could have been done in January.

Four other clubs also enquired about Ederson

Newcastle’s interest in the midfielder has been corroborated by other sources. Reports in the Brazilian media on Tuesday also suggested that the club had made an enquiry for Ederson.

However, in addition to the Magpies, it is believed that Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain had registered their interest too.

Will Newcastle return with a bid in the summer?

Considering the level of interest in Ederson, it does seem very likely that Howe’s side will revisit the deal at the end of the season. Atalanta will probably be more amenable to a move happening but the interest from other teams will mean he could be a very expensive purchase.

The Serie A side are pretty tough negotiators, having sold Rasmus Hojlund to Manchester United for £72m last year. With the player still having over two years remaining on his contract as well, they have no incentive to give him away on the cheap either.

You can watch the documentary – Newcastle United: The Road Back To Europe on Shots! TV here