A round-up of Newcastle United transfer rumours on Friday, 24 December.
Rafa Benitez makes Lucas Digne stance 'clear'
Rafa Benitez has made it "clear" that Lucas Digne will remain a key player at Everton, despite missing the Toffees last three matches.
The Frenchman's absence has prompted speculation, linking him with a move to Newcastle United.
The Toffees have also reportedly lined up a move to bring in Vitaliy Mykolenko as a potential replacement for Digne.
When asked if the Frenchman was in line to play against Burnley on Boxing Day, Benitez told the Liverpool Echo: "At the moment, yes.
“I don’t know what will happen before the game, but at the moment, yes.”
'Great start for new era'
Alan Hutton believes Lucas Digne would be a "great start" for the new Magpies owners.
The Everton fullback has been out of favour at the Toffees since Rafa Benitez's arrival at Goodison Park.
The French left-back has been touted for a move to St. James' Park in January, and Hutton believes Digne's experience would be "brilliant" for the Magpies.
“Signing Digne would be a great start for that new era," Hutton told Football Insider.
“Defensively is where a lot of Newcastle’s problems lie. They’ve played makeshift full-backs often this season – Matt Ritchie has played in there, for example.
“To have someone in there who knows the Premier League and has played an awful lot of games at a high level would be brilliant. He’d really fit the bill.
“If things have deteriorated with Rafa Benitez at Everton and he’s not going to be playing – as a player, you won’t be happy with that.
“It’s a risk because they could go down this season, but the bigger picture is the project they are building in the background – I’m sure he wants to sign for Newcastle and be a part of that.”
Newcastle believe they 'have a chance' of signing Timo Werner
Newcastle United believe they 'have a chance' of signing Chelsea forward Timo Werner in January, according to Christian Falk.
The Bundesliga journalist told BILD (via Sport Witness), that the Magpies are hopeful of signing the German international.
Falk said: "With Werner, they reckon they’ve got a bit of a chance. They’ve got contacts with the management.
"One of their players (Fabian Schar) is also managed by the German agency that represents Werner.
“Whether Werner will end up feeling so frustrated at Chelsea and then say ‘I’ll give it a go in Newcastle’ is the big question.”
