NAPOLI have joined the race for Aleksandar Mitrovic – and are hoping to seal a €10m deal for the in-demand Newcastle United striker.

However, while the Magpies are willing to listen to offers for Mitrovic, they will not be selling for anything less than the £13m they shelled out to sign the 22-year-old two summers ago.

Newcastle are set to add to their attacking options in the next few days, with Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham poised to sign a season-long loan from Stamford Bridge.

Dwight Gayle has been assured he remains a key part of Rafael Benitez’s plans for next season, and with the Magpies manager keen to run the rule over England Under-20 international Adam Armstrong during pre-season, Mitrovic finds himself close to the bottom of the attacking pecking order.

Turkish rivals Besiktas and Fenerbahce have both expressed an interest in the Serbia international, although financial constraints mean they would prefer to agree a loan deal with the Magpies rather than a permanent transfer.

Napoli are in a much healthier financial position, having accrued a revenue of around €308m last season while qualifying for next season’s Champions League, and while the Serie A club achieved their main summer ambition last week when they persuaded leading scorer Dries Mertens to commit to a new deal, they remain keen to add to their squad.

Napoli officials have been in talks with their counterparts at St James’ Park for much of the last fortnight, with Newcastle hoping to sign goalkeeper Pepe Reina from the Stadio San Paolo, and those discussions also touched on the possibility of Mitrovic being able to move once the transfer window officially reopens.

Napoli head coach Maurizio Sarri is understood to be an admirer of the Serbian striker, but Italian sources claim his employers will expect Mitrovic’s lack of involvement last season to be factored into his price.

Mitrovic made just 11 league starts as Newcastle won the Championship title last term, scoring four goals, and Napoli will attempt to argue that Benitez’s obvious lack of faith in the striker should be reflected in the sum that is demanded for his services.

That will not go down well on Tyneside, with Mike Ashley adamant he does not want to make a loss on any of the players currently on the Magpies’ books. While Lee Charnley accepts players will have to move on this summer to make space in the squad for new signings, Mitrovic will not be leaving for less than £13m.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have announced a second pre-season friendly and will face Championship side Preston at Deepdale on Saturday, July 22 (3pm). The Magpies have already announced a trip to Bradford City on July 26.