Newcastle United’s ‘expected’ January transfer plan ‘revealed’ with ex-Leeds United and Wolves men ‘targeted’

Newcastle United are set to explore a loan deal for a midfielder to cope with the absence of Sandro Tonali after his 10-month ban from football was ratified by FIFA on Saturday.

The 23-year-old joined the Magpies from AC Milan in the summer, with the player banned after breaching betting rules during his time in Italy. Newcastle are unlikely to spend big on a replacement, with Football Insider reporting the Magpies are exploring loan deals when the window opens.

It is claimed the club’s transfer budget will not allow them to complete a big-money deal with the likes of Joao Palhinha, Amadou Onana, Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen linked in recent days.

Ex-Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips has been linked with the Magpies amid his ongoing struggle to break into the Manchester City team and a loan could suit all parties with the midfielder keen to play regular football ahead of Euro 2024 in Germany.

Another possible solution appears to be ex-Wolves captain Ruben Neves, according to reports from TalkSPORT, who claim the Magpies are considering a loan move for Neves. The ex-Porto star, who broke into the first team at just 17 years of age, established himself as an integral player at Wolves between 2017 and 2023.

During his six-year-stay at Wolves he helped the club earn promotion from the Championship to the Premier League and is also seen as a key focal point in the team which recorded back-to-back seventh place finishes.

Neves was an ever-present at the heart of Wolves’ midfield and was seen as an asset due to his leadership, technique and his ability to strike the ball from distance. He was awarded the club’s captaincy in August 2022 after the departure of Conor Coady and helped steer the team to safety last term.

The 44-time Portuguese international was one of many high-profile players to make the move to Saudi Arabia this summer and he joined the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Kalidou Koulibaly and Neymar by joining Al-Hilal for a fee of around £47m. Al-Hilal are one of the four major clubs in the division who are 75 per cent owned by PIF - who also have an 80 per cent stake in Newcastle. Neves has not played Champions League football since leaving Porto in 2017 and his desire to return to an elite competition could entice him to St James’ Park.