Newcastle have denied making a verbal approach for Borussia Dortmund teenager Youssoufa Moukoko.
Moukoko is out of contract at Dortmund in the summer, and is now free to speak to European clubs ahead of a potential departure from the German club at the end of the season.
Chelsea have been linked with the 18-year-old, but they are not the only club interested, and the Evening Standard reported on Tuesday morning that Newcastle have discussed a potential deal with Dortmund for Moukoko.
The report claimed Newcastle would be willing to pay Moukoko over £150,000-a-week in wages. Dortmund have been trying to convince the youngster to commit his future to them, but have been unable to meet his wage demands so far.
However, Newcastle have told Sportsmail that reports of a verbal approach for Moukoko are wide of the mark.
The club remain keen on the forward, but have not stepped up their interest for the moment.
Newcastle are yet to make any signings in January as they take a cautious approach in the transfer market to ensure that they adhere to Financial Fair Play (FFP) guidelines.
Bringing in Moukoko on a free transfer would be a statement of intent, though, with the team already taking big strides on the pitch under Eddie Howe this season.
Meanwhile, missing out on Moukoko would be a major blow for Chelsea, who have focused on signing young talent since Todd Boehly arrived as the club's new owner last year.
The Blues brought in Wesley Fofana and Carney Chukwuemeka in the summer, and have added Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos to their squad this month - all five players are 21 or younger.
Moukoko is another player on their radar, but they are now at risk on losing out on him to one of their Premier League rivals.
Moukoko has six goals in 14 Bundesliga appearances this season, and did enough to make Germany's World Cup squad in Qatar.
He came off the bench in Germany's opening game of the tournament, but did not feature in their next two matches as Hansi Flick's men suffered an early exit.
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