Newcastle United are hopeful of completing a deal for Galway United defender Alex Murphy. The 17-year-old is set to join the club in the summer with reports in Ireland suggesting that his agents have been at the academy to conclude talks.
Murphy is said to be a versatile player and can also operate at left-back. Murphy had been linked with Celtic and a number of Premier League clubs but the suggestion is that Newcastle have won the race for his services and he will link up with the club from next season.
Interestingly, Murphy is represented by Polaris Sports, which is a firm operated by super agent Jorge Mendes with the group looking to hoover up talent in Ireland. Murphy joined Galway as a 15-year-old and has worked his way up the ranks making seven appearances at professional level.
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Academy chief Steve Harper is eager to bolster the youth system at United with an interest in improving the group below the Under-23 squad.
It is understood that Eddie Howe has taken a thorough look at the youngster age groups after senior training has finished during his six month stay on Tyneside so far.
