Newcastle United 'target' and highly-renowned prodigy made ‘available’ in January for £15.5m

Newcastle United fans are preparing for one of the busiest schedules of the season so far as the club prepares to play three fixtures in the space of six days - starting with tonight’s trip to take on Everton at Goodison Park.

Eddie Howe’s first team options are limited due to an avalanche of injury problems with Nick Pope being the latest high profile absentee. December promises to be another strenuous period for the Magpies who will hope to welcome back at least some of their first team players - particularly in the wide areas where Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almiron are practically playing every minute of every game.

The wide area has reportedly been identified as an area which Howe will look to strengthen in the summer and it appears two young English wingers have caught the eye of Newcastle’s scouting team. With that in mind Shields Gazette has rounded up the latest transfer headlines surrounding Newcastle in the run-up to the January window.

Italian giants allow winger to leave in January as Newcastle and Tottenham enter race

Samuel Iling-Junior is a highly-rated winger who was included in The Guardian’s list of the best 60 young talents in world football back in 2020. The 20-year-old is a youth product of Chelsea and Juventus who has represented England at every age group from U15 to U21 - notably winning the European U19 Championship in 2022.

He has reportedly been on Newcastle’s radar for a number of months and has now been made available for a transfer by Juventus boss Massimo Allegri, according to reports from Tuttomercato.

Allegri handed the player his professional debut last season and he played in a total of 18 matches in all competitions, scoring one goal and providing one assist. However, his first team have been limited this term and he has made just four Serie A appearances, with many of those coming from the bench.

The Old Lady were reportedly keen on making the player available for a loan last summer. However, The Evening Standard now claims the player will be made available for a fee of around £15.5m, with Newcastle's Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur also credited with an interest.

Iling-Junior primarily operates on the left wing and could provide competition for the likes of Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes, when he returns from injury. Likewise he is able to operate on the other flank to provide cover for both Miguel Almiron and the injured Jacob Murphy.