'Only a matter of time before Barca and Real come sniffing'

Newcastle midfielder Mikel Merino is enjoying life at the club after moving to the North-East in the summer. The Spaniard originally joined the club on loan form German giants Borussia Dortmund in the summer but such has been his impact that the move was recently made permanent.

The young Spaniard's passing ability has drawn comparisons with compatriot Xabi Alonso, though the 21-year-old still has some way to go if he hopes to reach that level.

Newcastle fans are quickly growing concerned that one of the big fish from the Spain U21 international's homeland will come calling for the player sooner rather than later and 'Magpies' goalkeeper Rob Elliot believes that Merino is certainly capable of playing at that level.

“Yes, I certainly see him in a bracket where clubs like that (Barcelona and Real Madrid) come into it, considering his age,” he told 'The Independent'. “It’s only a matter of time before the very top clubs come looking at him, but we want to be a top club, too.

"We want him to stay here, we don’t want to see any of our top players up for sale again. That is the mentality now. We bring them through, the manager is here. He’s a fantastic signing from the manager and the scouting department and hopefully we’ll just see him develop as a player and he fulfils all that potential at Newcastle.

“Micky has come on and done brilliantly, and it’s great because it shows in every position you’ve got to perform. It’s brilliant news he’s signed permanently, great for the club that such a talented young player has committed himself.

“He’s very, very good. You can see from his performances the talent. There’s no reason why he can’t go on to play at the very top. I certainly see no reason why not. At the moment he is our player and we have to make sure he takes us to the top. We’ve now got a brilliant bunch of midfielders and one of them is having to miss out every week.”

Merino scored a late header to earn Newcastle a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at St James' Park on Saturday, further endearing himself to the club's fans, who will be hoping that the club's new owners, whoever they may be, can help ensure that the player spends his best years in the North-East.