It is no secret that Newcastle United need to strengthen all departments in their squad if they are to match up to the demands of the Premier League.

The first move has been made as Rafa Benitez opted to make Christian Atsu's contract permanent. Now, Newcastle are looking to go bigger and test powerhouse Manchester City.

Money talks

It is being reported that Benitez is keen to make Eliaquim Mangala Newcastle's first choice centre back. Given his class and experience, which is a cut above the current pairings available, he will attract a high fee. Despite this, the club is set to make use of negotiation time by initially offering £12 million. However, £16m is the fee that was agreed by City and Valencia upon initiation of the loan spell.

Additionally, the move could increase the wage bill of the Toon significantly as Benitez is willing to offer a "substantial" salary to the defender. Luckily, owner Mike Ashley has vowed to give the manager and club the financial backing it needs to see glory restored in the top flight.

City looking to offload

As for City, who are also in the process of rebuilding, they are looking to make room for new signings. ​Bernando Silva and Ederson have arrived in Manchester for a total fee of around £73 million, which leaves room for offload players.

Mangala is one of the players that City are supposedly keen to sell on to another club.

What it means for the Toon

Before becoming the most expensive defender in the £42m transfer from FC Porto to City, Mangala picked up experience in Belgium - the same league as Aleksandar Mitrovic and defender Chancel Mbemba played in.

During his time at City, which could feasibly come to an end soon, Mangala has made 48 appearances. Additionally, during his loan spell with Valencia he picked up 30 appearances in all competitions. Playing in multiple leagues with different levels of clubs is an appealing characteristic, especially in regards to a defender. This is an area that has been lacking for Newcastle in previous seasons in the top flight.

As a move to Tyneside would most likely secure Mangala a starting place in the backline, it could be the end of Grant Hanley's career while other players such as 2016/17 captain Jamaal Lascelles could be moved down the pecking order.