Stoke City are set to be joined by Newcastle United in the race to sign Nottingham Forest’s Ben Osborn according to a report from the Newcastle Chronicle.

It is well documented that Stoke are interested in signing Osborn. Following their relegation to the Sky Bet Championship they are looking to snap up talent that is already proven in the league and the 23-year-old midfielder is certainly that after being one of Forest’s best performers over the last few seasons. That is why they are looking to sign him at some point over the summer.

But it appears they may soon face some stiff competition as Newcastle United might be about to join the race. They are looking to sign some young midfield talent this summer and their head coach Rafa Benitez is preferring to look within England before looking at potential signings abroad. And the man that is coming up is Osborn due to his ability and the belief that he would be able to make the step up to the Premier League.

The only misgiving Newcastle would have is the potential price as they would want the deal to be done relatively cheaply. And with Forest asking for £5m, Newcastle may think that is a reasonable price for a midfielder that is proven at a good level. But with Stoke having plenty of parachute payments to spend and likely an exciting season ahead of them, they’ll hope to have the edge when it comes to any potential contract negotiations.