Newcastle United hatch 'loan strategy' as transfer 'battle' emerges over La Liga star

Newcastle United are now preparing to take on Tottenham on Sunday after a disappointing week that saw them heavily defeated by Everton. The Magpies were closing in on the top four ahead of that setback, and they are now four points off the pace.

Eddie Howe will be demanding an instant response from his men, but Tottenham also need to bounce back after a frustrating few weeks not helped by injuries. In the meantime, we have rounded up all the latest news and transfer rumours surrounding St James' Park.

Guerra links

Newcastle are said to be interested in a deal for Valencia starlet Javi Guerra. According to Estadio Deportivo, both Newcastle and Manchester United are interested in rivalling Juventus to sign the 20-year-old.

Guerra has a huge release clause worth more than £90million, but it has been claimed that Valencia would consider selling at around £35million, putting Guerra in the price range for a number of clubs. January tends to be a window for more proven signings, but Guerra does look to be a special talent, operating as a box-to-box midfielder at Los Ché.

Loan claims

Newcastle are being tipped to land 'a number of loans' from Saudi Arabia during the January window. The Magpies are likely to rely heavily on loans due to their Financial Fair Play situation, and clubs voted to continue to allow clubs to sign players from clubs with the same owners.

The Magpies' owners, PIF, own a number of Saudi clubs, and that has led to speculation that some of the big-name players who made their way to Saudi Arabia in the summer could return to Newcastle on loan in the winter window. Football Insider claim the Magpies are planning to sign more a few players via that method, although there are no names included in the report.