There is much to be excited about at St. James' Park.
Newcastle United have qualified for the Champions League and manager Eddie Howe is proving a success story for the ages following his revitalisation of a formerly beleaguered outfit.
Sporting director Dan Ashworth has provided a similarly emphatic effect, with his transfer business providing steel framework from which the performance on the pitch has blossomed from.
The Premier League high-fliers have signed playmaker Sandro Tonali for £55m from AC Milan, while winger Harvey Barnes has departed from relegated Leicester City to pen a £39m deal with the Magpies.
Read the latest Newcastle transfer news HERE…
The defence was imperious last season but is yet untouched this summer, but the club have now identified a new centre-back to wedge their way into first-team reckoning.
What's the latest on Oumar Solet to Newcastle?
According to the Daily Mail, RB Salzburg starlet Oumar Solet is attracting interest from a host of European clubs after impressing in Austria.
Newcastle are joined in their interest by Everton, Inter Milan and Torino, though Newcastle could be in the driving seat given the player's preference to move to the Premier League.
Who is Oumar Solet?
It remains to be seen just how Newcastle will look come the closing of the transfer window in less than a month's time, though the squad that fought tremendously last term looks set to keep its nucleus.
However, with 31-year-old centre-back Fabian Schar entering the final year of his contract, prudent steps are being taken to ensure that there is now a continuation of the increments made over the past two years.
And in Solet, Newcastle might just find the perfect heir, with Sofascore recording his average rating in the Austrian Bundesliga last term at an impressive 7.42. The 23-year-old also completed 88% of his passes, succeeded in 66% of his ground duels, and won 1.9 tackles, 2.6 interceptions and 3.4 clearances per game.
When comparing this to Schar, the rounded skill set and technicality of Solet becomes apparent, with the Swiss international commendable in the Premier League last season with a 7.13 average score but only completing 78% of his passes while still averaging 1.4 interceptions, 1.3 tackles and 3.8 clearances per game, also succeeding with 65% of his ground duels.
Clearly, Schar is at the top of his game right now and has been hailed to have "eliminated" the flaws in his game by journalist John Gibson after being described as "disillusioned" with the club prior to Howe's arrival.
The £40k-per-week star has indeed been revitalised and now ranks among the top 6% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 2% for shot-creating actions and the top 9% for aerials won per 90, and he could mentor Solet in his ascent to prominence and nurture the offensive side of his game.
With no contractual resolution in sight, Schar could find himself gracing the Tyneside grass for the final day this season and Solet certainly looks to be the perfect replacement.
The 6 foot 3 Frenchman has been dubbed "dominant" by one journalist, and Howe must now take his interest in the rising star one step further and snap him up before rival suitors get their hands on him
