We’re now past the mid-way point of the January transfer window and Newcastle have yet to do any deals beyond the incoming and outgoing of Garang Kuol.
However, reports in London suggest that Newcastle are keen to take three players off Chelsea’s hands this window.
Free-spending Chelsea are hovering around the half-a-billion pound mark in terms of incoming transfers since Todd Boehly took over from Roman Abramovich, and now face the need to sell to rebalance the squad.
The Telegraph seem to think that Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher and Hakim Ziyech could all be wearing the black and white of Newcastle come the start of February.
The Gallagher links are nothing new with an interest being mooted back in the summer, and Loftus-Cheek had been mentioned as someone Newcastle were looking at in some circles although that link never gathered pace as much as the Conor Gallagher one. While Hakim Ziyech is a new name in the frame, but definitely a welcome one.
Ziyech played in every one of Morocco’s matches at the World Cup as they took that tournament by storm, but has found game time at Stamford Bridge extremely limited. Much like Ziyech, Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek find themselves being underutilised as Graeme Potter struggles to find his best eleven.
I can see how Newcastle could have eyes on these three players, but the idea of taking all three makes no sense. Three midfielders in one shot doesn’t seem like the kind of business we’re trying to do right now. Maybe one, Conor Gallagher, I can see happening.
If Bruno Guimaraes’ ankle injury was going to keep him out for the rest of the season, then maybe take two of them, but early signs indicate that he will be out for weeks not months, but is likely to miss the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
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