Newcastle Closing in on Cut-Price Deal for Rodrigo Vilca

Newcastle United are close to securing a cut-price deal for attacking midfielder Rodrigo Vilca.

Vilca currently plies his trade for Deportivo Municipal in his native Peru, who narrowly avoided relegation during the 2019 campaign. This season, they are faring slightly better and Vilca has impressed in particular with six goal involvements in ten games.

According to the Daily Mail, the 21-year-old has caught the eye of Newcastle scouts in the region and transfer negotiations are at an advanced stage. The Magpies are thought to be close to securing a £250,000 deal for the player, who was called up to the Peru squad recently.

It is expected that once the deal is completed, Vilca will immediately be sent out on loan to gain experience at a higher level. Although Newcastle are impressed by the playmaker, they are concerned that he does not possess the necessary physicality to compete in the Premier League.

Vilca could become the latest Newcastle in a flurry of impressive transfer business. Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser, Jeff Hendrick and Jamal Lewis have all been recruited and Steve Bruce shows no sign of letting up as the Magpies look to improve on last season's 13th place finish.

Meanwhile, DeAndre Yedlin could be on his way out of St James' Park. The United States international has been at the club since 2016 but found first team chances hard to come by last season, making just 16 league appearances.

Newcastle are willing to let the 27-year-old depart for around £5m and he is attracting interest from a number of MLS clubs, as well as from across Europe. Manager Steve Bruce has already confirmed he is looking to trim his bloated squad and getting Yedlin's £30,000-per-week wages off the books is a priority.