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Newcastle United have been linked with former Barcelona striker Sandro Ramirez.

Reports in Spain have suggested that Rafa Benitez has an interest in the 21-year-old who currently stars for Malaga in La Liga.

Ramirez quit Barcelona last summer on a free transfer after 32 appearances for the Catalan club.

Since signing for Malaga, Ramirez has netted 15 goals for La Rosaleda Stadium team and is in a rich vein of form after scoring four times in the last three games.

His latest goal came in the impressive televised 4-2 win over Seville this week.

Ramirez has a £5.1million release clause in his contract with Malaga, but has also attracted interest from a clutch of Premier League clubs including Stoke City, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton.

Sport newspaper in Spain also report that Atletico Madrid, Seville and Villarreal are also keen.

Right-footed Ramirez hails from Gran Canaria and he could see Benitez’s Newcastle as a good fit next season.

The 21-year-old can operate as a striker or wide on the left or right.

His price tag of £5.1million is a realistic one for Newcastle and after activating clauses on Mo Diame and Ciaran Clark last summer, Benitez’s in-depth knowledge of the transfer market is set to be key this summer.

When asked about Newcastle’s transfer plans recently, Benitez said: “We will try to do our best in terms of football and be sure next year the team will be strong enough to compete for something.”