Newcastle United have been successful in their ambitions by achieving the dream of playing in the Champions League again.

Nnow a new update has emerged on a potentially massive transfer for the Magpies that could put them in contention to go a long way in that competition.

What's the latest on Lionel Messi's future?

According to Argentinian journalist Pablo Gravellone, Newcastle are one of the Premier League clubs interested in signing World Cup winner Lionel Messi this summer.

Gravellone took to Twitter on Saturday to make the stunning claim: "From England, it’s assured today that Chelsea and Newcastle have entered the race to sign Messi."

Will Newcastle sign Lionel Messi this summer?

Whilst the idea of Messi's arrival on Tyneside might seem far-fetched to most, it would be a huge statement of PIF's intent to make Newcastle a global brand both on and off the pitch.

It has been proven on many occasions that Messi's influence on his club's global recognition and of course, his phenomenal impact on the pitch is completely unrivalled by any other player on the planet. For example, Paris Saint Germain lost a remarkable 600k followers on Instagram this weekend following the Argentine's final game for the Ligue 1 side.

Despite becoming one of the richest clubs on the planet when the Saudi-led takeover went through in November 2021, the Magpies have found themselves restricted on how much they can spend due to Financial Fair Play rules and the club's lack of commercial revenue compared to the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City.

As a result, the signing of the £1m-per-week superstar could play a key role in unlocking the financial capabilities Newcastle boast with merchandising profits, advertising opportunities and commercial deals of all kinds likely to skyrocket if a move was completed to bring the 806-goal phenomenon to St James' Park.

In terms of where Messi stands on his future, it has been reported heavily that the 35-year-old - hailed the "Mozart of football" by Radomir Antic - is eyeing up a lucrative move to Al-Hilal of the Saudi Pro League.

However, Italian journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has dispelled these rumours to claim that the former Barcelona whiz wants to remain in competitive football.

With that being said, the opportunity to sign Messi will be hard to ignore for the powerbrokers at St James' Park and would be without a shadow of a doubt the biggest move for PIF and Newcastle in their entire club's history.

With Champions League qualification secured and an unmatched ambition being shown by the owners, it could be an incredibly attractive prospect for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.