The injection of cash at St James’ Park has led many to speculate what calibre of players Newcastle will be able to attract in the January transfer window.
However, it appears that Magpies manager Eddie Howe already has a position that he has made his priority to strengthen in this month’s window.
The Tyneside outfit have been loosely linked with some of Europe’s most exciting young talents over the past few months.
However, considering they are 19th in the Premier League, questions have been raised over what quality players Newcastle will be able to attract with the risk of being relegated to the Championship.
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But Howe may be hoping that the complete overhaul of his midfield may be able to help steer the Magpies to safety.
The former Bournemouth boss appears to have prioritised adding top players into the centre of the park in the shape of Manchester United ’s Donny van de Beek and Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Georginio Wijnaldum.
The Dutch pair would, with no disrespect, comfortably be an upgrade on the Magpies’ current midfield options and allow them to dictate games rather than playing on the backfoot and relying on counter-attacking openings.
Van de Beek arrived at Old Trafford from Ajax for £35m in 2020 but has struggled to earn opportunities in the English top-flight and hasn’t started a single game in the league so far this season.
On the other hand, one player who knows the Premier League inside out is Wijnaldum.
Valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, the 31-year-old spent five seasons at Liverpool and only missed 10 league games during that time, winning the title once during that time as well as the Champions League.
The 31-year-old has previously spent a season playing for the Magpies (2015/16) and featured in every league game, scoring eleven goals and assisting five.
However, the former PSV star was unable to prevent the club from being relegated and thus was sold to the Reds for £23m.
The addition of Wijnaldum and Van de Beek would be a huge mark of intent by Newcastle.
However, signing the latter could now prove tricky.
As exclusively reported by Mirror Sport last week, Van de Beek may be forced to sit and suffer at United because he is under contract with Guido Albers, who he split from in October after the adviser was unable to conclude the midfielder’s loan move to Everton.
The 24-year-old has turned to rival agent Ali Dursan to help him depart the Red Devils in this month’s transfer window, but Dursan is unable to secure a mandate without permission from Albers.
If the situation cannot be resolved quickly then Van de Beek may be forced to continue warming the bench at Old Trafford this campaign.
It remains to be seen what players Newcastle do manage to sign this month and what level of talent is willing to take the punt on Howe’s side and buy into the club’s long term vision, whilst potentially sacrificing short term success as a result - especially as relegation looms.
