If we’ve learned any lesson from the summer transfer window, it’s that our track record shopping abroad tends to be a lot more successful than shopping domestically.

It can’t be denied that Malick Thiaw and Nick Woltemade have been the success stories of the summer, backing up this belief that we should continue to shop abroad for hidden gems and value-for-money talent.

Moves for Milan-based stars has paid dividends of late, with Thiaw and Sandro Tonali both great coups, and another player currently at the San Siro may be back on our radar heading into the New Year…

Fresh interest in frozen-out Inter star?

According to TuttoMercato, Newcastle remain keen on Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi, with a move away from the Italian side now considered ‘very likely’ in January.

After we tried and failed to land the all-action midfielder late in the summer window, where Sky Italy reported on our rejected loan-to-buy bid, it had seemed like Frattesi would factor into Inter’s plans for the season ahead. However, that hasn’t quite come to fruition a few months later.

With less than 200 minutes played in the Serie A this season, the 26-year-old currently finds himself behind Piotr Zielinski, Petar Sucic and Andy Diouf in the midfield pecking order, opening the door to a January exit.

Approaching two months since his last start in the league, Frattesi is understood to be growing frustrated, and a departure in the New Year looks back on the cards, potentially even at a cut-price fee.

This could open the door for Newcastle to reignite their interest, although only time will tell if we’re still set on the Italian after growing suggestions that we are now looking at AZ Alkmaar’s Kees Smit instead.

Where would Frattesi fit in?

If it’s a guaranteed place in the starting XI and regular Premier League minutes that Frattesi would be happy with, then you can’t help but feel that a move to Tyneside wouldn’t be the wisest choice.

There’s very few midfielders available right now who’d stand a chance of displacing either of Sandro Tonali or Bruno Guimaraes. And though Frattesi is younger than Joelinton, we also have a newly-signed Jacob Ramsey and top talent Lewis Miley.

We’ll just have to see just how low this ‘reduced’ price for Frattesi can go, and will soon find out if he’s still a target after recent links to younger alternatives like Smit and Aleksandar Stankovic.