NEWCASTLE UNITED have agreed a deal for Yankuba Minteh – and are set to make the Gambian youngster their first signing of the summer.

Minteh, who is regarded as a development signing, is set to make a €7m move from Danish club Odense, having joined the Scandinavian outfit last summer.

The 18-year-old winger is set to undergo a medical on Tyneside in the next few days, and is expected to be sent out on loan next season in order to further his development.

His signing mirrors that of Garang Kuol, who joined Newcastle in January and spent the second half of last season on loan at Scottish Premier League side Hearts, and follows a now firmly-established pattern of the Magpies’ recruitment team attempting to source the most promising young players from around the world at an early stage of their development.

Having been born and raised in Gambia, and started his career with Steve Biko FC, a team in the Gambian top-flight, Minteh moved to Europe to join Odense last July.

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He made his Danish Superliga debut in September, and was handed his maiden call-up to the senior Gambia squad two months later for friendlies against DR Congo and Liberia.

He has made 17 senior appearances for Odense, who are sixth in the Danish top-flight, scoring four goals and also weighing in with six assists.

He is likely to be the first of a number of development signings this summer, with Newcastle’s recruitment operation keen to increase the depth of talent just below the club’s first team.