Newcastle United are eyeing up Amadou Haidara as a potential midfield option for the summer transfer window amid links to Declan Rice.

Will Newcastle sign a new midfielder?

Going into the Premier League run-in, Eddie Howe's Magpies have the opportunity to do something they could have only dreamed of back in August in landing a spot in the Champions League spots.

They could move one step closer on Sunday when they face their top-four rivals, Tottenham hotspur, on Tyneside with three points taking them six points clear of the north London side.

And if they are to secure their spot in next season's elite European competition, it will be a major test of the squad currently playing at St. James' Park.

There is a belief that Dan Ashworth and Howe are keen to bolster their options in the midfield with reports claiming they will be looking to make two additions over the coming months.

Recent suggestions claim the Magpies could make an ambitious move to bring in West Ham United's main man, Rice, with his future in London up in the air.

However, journalist Aaron Stokes has suggested RB Leipzig's Haidara is another option that could prove a cheaper alternative, as he spoke on the Everything Is Black & White podcast:

"It's my understanding that they have been very, very keen on a player called Amadou Haidara for pretty much over a year now, they tried to get him last summer from Leipzig.

"25-year-old African midfielder, very, very highly rated, very, very close to joining Brighton in January. And you know, Newcastle certainly think he ticks a lot of boxes.

"Leipzig pretty much resigned to losing him this summer. I think there'll be a very big bidding war for him. But yeah, it's my understanding that Newcastle are still very keen to make him a player this summer."

"I think you'd probably be looking at – for a player of his age and quality – £40m/£50m, which is certainly in their budget. So I don't think it would break the bank."

Would Haidara be a good option for Newcastle?

Given Rice's experience in the Premier League and England squad, the 24-year-old will likely come with a huge price tag if he is to be sold in the summer.

It is believed the England midfielder could cost any side in excess of £80m with West Ham valuing him highly despite his contract winding down to its final year.

However, Stokes has suggested the 25-year-old from Leipzig could cost around half of that with the midfielder expected to be valued in the region of £40m-£50m.

Analyst Statman Dave has hailed the 25-year-old as "excellent" and he ranks inside the upper second percentile for interceptions made across midfielders in the top five leagues (via FBref).

However, in comparison to Rice (2.27), he has made fewer tackles (1.61) and a lower number of shot-creating actions (1.93) than the Englishman (2.80) (via FBref).

But it must be noted that the Mali international has only made 10 starts for Leipzig in the Bundesliga this season with less than half the minutes accumulated by Rice thus far.

Although the £16.5k-per-week midfielder will likely come with a much lower price tag than Rice, it does also seem as if Newcastle could be getting a player who would potentially provide less of an impact.