NEWCASTLE UNITED are close to completing a deal for Georgian youngster Vakhtang Salia as they continue to chase the best global teenage talent.

Salia, who turned 17 at the end of last month, is widely regarded as the most exciting youngster in Georgian football after breaking into the first-team ranks at Dinamo Tbilisi in the last 12 months.

A Georgia Under-21 international, who has played as both a centre-forward and attacking midfielder for both club and country, the teenager has already made 27 first-team appearances for Dinamo.

He has scored four senior goals, three in the Georgian top-flight and one in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers.

He has been the subject of interest from clubs across Europe, but Newcastle are understood to have negotiated a deal that will see them officially sign him when the transfer window reopens at the start of January.

However, it is expected that Salia will remain with Dinamo Tbilisi for the whole of this season before flying to England to join up with Newcastle’s squad at the start of pre-season training next summer.

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Salia has been tipped to make his senior international debut with Georgia in the next few months, and will hope to follow in the footsteps of Georgian legend Kvhicha Kvaratskelia, who also started out with Dinamo Tbilisi before going on to be a huge success at Napoli.

Newcastle’s pursuit of Salia is part of an ongoing effort to widen the club’s scouting and recruitment network in order to target the best emerging talent from right across the world.

The Magpies have had mixed success signing youngsters from abroad in the last couple of years, with Australia international Garang Kuol having arrived amid significant fanfare in September 2022, but having so far been unable to make an impression on Newcastle’s first-team squad.

Newcastle had more success with the purchase of Yankuba Minteh, who was plucked from Danish club Odense Boldklub in the summer of 2023. Sent on loan to Feyenoord last season, Minteh was sold to Brighton at the start of this summer, with Newcastle banking a profit of around £25m that proved crucial to enabling them to remain within the parameters of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability regulations.