Newcastle United have ‘already made an offer’ to pacey forward Ousmane Dembele as he edges towards the Barcelona exit door, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.

Dembele has entered the final five months of his contract with the Catalan giants and has rejected the offer of a new deal, meaning he can depart on a free transfer in the summer.

What is the latest news involving Dembele?

Barca president Joan Laporta openly admitted that the 24-year-old had refused to put pen to paper on fresh terms despite two approaches being made to him and his representatives.

Laporta claimed that Dembele was not happy with the ‘economic terms’ put forwards, with the club attempting to secure a reduction in his £287,000-per-week wages.

According to Sky Sports, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain were interested in ending the France international’s Camp Nou nightmare in the January transfer window before both clubs encountered obstacles.

That has left the door wide open for any potential suitor to snap up Dembele on a pre-contract agreement, and Newcastle could be well placed to pounce.

Transfer insider Rudy Galetti has previously claimed the Magpies attempted to bring the winger to the North East last month and Taylor has now revealed they have already returned with another approach.

What has Taylor said about Dembele?

Newcastle brought in five new acquisitions during January as Eddie Howe added some significant strength to his first-team squad.

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But the club’s new owners have lofty ambitions for the future and Taylor has disclosed how the hierarchy are already making plans for further improvements by targeting Dembele.

He told GiveMeSport: “From what I understand, they've already made an offer to his agent for a pre-contract agreement, quite a big one as well. So, there is interest in Dembele.”

Would Newcastle be a good move for Dembele?

Following the takeover of the Saudi-backed consortium, Newcastle became one of the wealthiest clubs in world football.

And the arrival of Kieran Tripper and Bruno Guimarães in the winter window, in particular, showed their drive to climb the Premier League table and compete for major honours.

However, there is no way of knowing how long it will take Newcastle to drag themselves from a relegation battle to the upper echelons of the top-flight if they manage to do so at all.

Consequently, joining Newcastle would be a huge risk for a player such as Dembele, who has won the World Cup, alongside two La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and the DFB-Pokal.

Dembele’s next move could be crucial for his career following four-and-a-half injury-hit years at Barcelona, and he will surely consider his options carefully before making a final decision.