Newcastle are close to completing a deal to sign Peruvian playmaker Rodrigo Vilca from Deportivo Municipal, a report from The Daily Mail has claimed.
The 21-year-old has seemingly caught the eye in his homeland, recently earning a call-up for the club’s national team, and it now seems as though he is attracting attention from abroad as well.
According to the latest reports, Newcastle are close to completing a deal for Vilca, who could be their sixth signing of the summer window, following Callum Wilson, Jamal Lewis, Mark Gillespie, Ryan Fraser and Jeff Hendrick.
It is thought that a deal for Vilca will cost Newcastle somewhere in the region of £250,000, although it may be some time before the player is pulling on the famous black and white stripes.
The Magpies are apparently considering the option of sending the playmaker out on loan immediately after signing him, due to the fact that they are concerned he is not physically ready for the challenges of the Premier League at this moment in time.
Considering the circumstances, this is a signing that could prove to be a very smart piece of business for Newcastle.
Given the fee they look set to pay for Vilca is easily affordable for a club of their size, there isn’t really much of a financial risk to this signing, so it will be far from a major blow if it doesn’t work out.
If it does prove successful on the pitch however, then it could prove something of a bargain for the Magpies, and it is good to see they are thinking proactively with a possible loan deal for Vilca, since at 21 there is no rush to throw him into the first-team, and this should better prepare him to eventually do that.