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Newcastle 'presenting good offer' to player who 'impressed at Tottenham last season' Newcastle United are planning to make an offer to Bayern Munich star Joao Palhinha in an attempt to hijack Aston Villa's pursuit. The 31-year-old returned to Munich earlier this summer following a loan spell at Tottenham, but is seen as surplus to requirements for the Bundesliga giants. His availability has placed a number of Premier League clubs on alert, and after Aston Villa saw an offer rejcted, Newcastle are now prepaing to step up their interest. Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Newcastle are big admirers of Palhinha and are ready to present a "good offer" for the midfielder. Following the sales of Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, new manager Matthias Jaissle is determined to add to his midfield in the closing stages of the window. Palhinha has long been on the Magpies radar, and they are keen to add his experience and quality to the squad, with growing optimism they can reach an agreement. Could Newcastle make a move for Joao Palhinha? Football Insider warned on 10 August that Aston Villa are still the front-runners to sign Palhinha, having been the first to hold talks, and are keen to get a deal done. Newcastle, however, feel they can make an inticing offer to the midfielder with new plans being put in place both for the short-term and long-term future under Jaissle. Palhinha's Premier League experience is seen as key to the Magpies' pursuit, and given the money raised through sales this summer, they are well-placed to agree terms. "Joao Palhinha is somebody Newcastle have admired for quite a while," Brown told Football Insider. "He's got that experience in the Premier League, particularly from his time with Fulham where I thought he was top-class, but it hasn't worked out for him at Bayern Munich. "Even at Tottenham last season, he wasn't always the best player on the pitch, but I thought he looked strong and he does have assets that could be useful for a number of clubs. "So for Newcastle, a club who are desperately in need of midfield options, he could definitely do a good job with all of the experience and know-how that he brings. "I expect they will present a good offer for him, because they've got the money from those sales, and they're going to want to be ambitious. "The new manager has come in, so he can sell him on his ideas and plans for the coming season and beyond, because he is going to have ambitious targets. "I do expect him to leave Bayern Munich before the window closes because it looks like he's surplus to requirements there, and Newcastle would be a good destination for him." Why are Newcastle stepping up efforts to sign Palhinha? Newcastle's increased efforts to land Palhinha have come after they missed out on other targets as they scramble to bring in new midfielders before the start of the season. Brown told Football Insider that Newcastle have held talks over a deal to sign Marseille midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in an attempt to lure him back to English football. However, it has since been revealed that the midfielder turned down a move to St James' Park, despite initially having been open to the idea of the switch. Much like with Palhinha, Newcastle scouts were impressed by the midfielder's credentials after almost a decade in English football before he left for France. There are clear targets being identified by the Magpies' rectuitment team, and efforts are now being ramped up ahead of the new season, with optimism deals can be done.