According to The Mail’s Craig Hope, Newcastle have a ‘shortlist of around five names’ that could be pursued over the final 10 days of the January window, with a move for Kalvin Phillips hanging in the balance.
He reports that Bournemouth’s Philip Billing is on that list, with the 27-year-old Dane brought to the South Coast by Eddie Howe in a £15m deal from Huddersfield back in 2019. The 6ft 4′ midfielder is having another impressive season with the Cherries and scored seven league goals last season.
Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney was also ‘watched against Chelsea last week’ in their Carabao Cup semi-final win over Chelsea. The England U21 international ‘has admirers’ at the club, although it’s thought he could remain on Teeside until the summer.
Hope confirms that Steve Nickson did travel to Bergamo to watch Atalanta’s Ederson earlier this week. However, their £40-£50m price tag is likely to be a stumbling block this month given our FFP/PSR issues.
Elsewhere, The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards reports that Everton’s Amadou Onana has also been identified as a midfield who could solve our short and long-term issues in midfield, adding that Billing is admired but won’t be easy to sign this month.
Then to Phillips, Hope states that his hopes of signing at St James’ Park are dwindling, due Man City’s demands – a loan fee in excess of £7m for just five months of football – and concerns over his lack of game time in recent years.
His sources say we remain keen on the 28-year-old, but it’s thought other options are now being explored, with the club keen on initial loans (with no fee) that include an option to buy this summer, not mandatory purchase clauses.
