Magpies keen to snatch young English centre-back.
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Newcastle United are hoping to persuade Sporting Lisbon defender Eric Dier to move back home and head to St James’ Park this summer, according to the Daily Star.
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United chief scout Graham Carr is an admirer of the Cheltenham-born central defender, who moved to Portugal when he was seven.
Dier has only recently made his breakthrough into the Sporting first team, and he has impressed sufficiently enough during his 26 appearances for the club that Newcastle are preparing to make a £5m opening offer to convince him to return to the United Kingdom.
The 20-year-old has played almost as many games for England’s various youth sides, and even has five caps at under-21 level.
He moved to Portugal when his mother was offered a job at the 2004 European Championships, and though his family returned home he stayed at Sporting’s productive youth academy as a 16-year-old.
Dier was on loan for six months at Everton in 2011, then spent a season in Sporting’s reserve team before making his senior debut just over 18-months ago.
He currently has two years remaining on his contract in the Portuguese capital, and the club are keen to negotiate a new deal to keep him there and install a buyout clause of around £16m.
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