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Newcastle United icon Faustino Asprilla has backed compatriot Luis Muriel to be a hit at St James Park, should he make the move this summer.

The striker has been linked with a move to Newcastle this summer, with Eddie Howe keen to improve his forward line if he can.

He currently has Callum Wilson and Chris Wood as his striker options but Wilson has been plagued by injury problems in recent years and Wood is not a regular goalscorer.

It means another option would be welcomed by Howe and Newcastle fans alike and Muriel has subsequently been linked with a potential move.

He would certainly arrive with a goalscoring pedigree after scoring 59 goals in 128 games for Atalanta and 98 in 280 games in Serie A overall.

Those are the kind of numbers none of the current Newcastle forward line can come close to and compatriot Asprilla, who has his own storied history in the North East, believes the move could happen.

“Yes, it’s possible,” he told Blu Radio’s Blog Deportivo, relayed by Marca.

“He is a player with an important reputation in Europe, who has done things in the teams where he has been.

“It is possible that he could come to Newcastle, it would be good, it would be nice.

“Muriel is a quick player, the most important thing is that he has good pace and definition. He is a boy who has very good ball control. So he could adapt to English football.

“It’s not easy because in England the games have too much intensity, but he has the conditions to make it. If he gets physically fit, I think he could succeed in England.”