Newcastle United sporting director Paul Mitchell may have uncovered another gem as his overseas scouting operation continues.

Mitchell, along with head of recruitment Steve Nickson, have been scouring the continent for young talents available for a reasonable fee in a low risk, and potentially high reward, approach to our squad building.

Vakhtang Salia, Miodrag Pivas and Baran Yildiz have all been penned to contracts with Newcastle this season, while Antonio Cordero will join from Malaga in the summer – and he may be joined with another talent from the Spanish second division.

Cameroonian sensation watched

According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Newcastle United are showing serious interest in highly-rated striker Christian Kofane.

Playing for Albacete Balompié, the 18-year-old has become one of the revelations of Spain’s Segunda División, seeing him attract growing interest from across Europe.

Mundo Deportivo claim that Newcastle have been in contact over a potential move to St James’ Park, along with Premier League rivals Aston Villa and Man Utd.

The report states that Atlético Madrid, Lille, Mónaco, Betis, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Villarreal have also shown interest in the youngster.

It’s believed a €5m (£4.25m) release clause exists in his contract, making this another low-cost gem – much like Malaga’s Cordero – that could appeal to Paul Mitchell.

Kofane has enjoyed an excellent spell of form since mid-March, with five goals and an assist in his last five outings after joining Albacete in January and adapting quickly to his new surroundings.

Another Mitchell find?

Though it is yet to be seen whether any of sporting director Mitchell’s youthful acquisitions will pay dividends, there is a clear strategy to recruiting that Kofane fits into.

Cordero looks set to arrive from Spain in a free agent switch from Malaga and Kofane has shone in the same division.

€5m may be steep for someone with less than half a season of professional football, but the Cameroonian is undoubtedly a rising star and would fit the model that we are building from the ground up.

The teenager’s profile is continuing to grow and, with it being expected that there will be a tussle for his signature this summer, it’s likely that his release clause will have to be met in order to guarantee a deal.