Steve Bruce looking for 'one or two' January signings at Newcastle United

Newcastle United signed five players, most notably £40million striker Joelinton, in the summer at a cost of almost £65million.

The club recouped more than £30million of that through the sale of Ayoze Perez and Joselu.

That business has left some money in the club’s transfer kitty, according to head coach Bruce, who had to leave a number of senior players out of his 25-man Premier League squad last month.

And Steve Nickson, United’s head of recruitment, is drawing up lists of potential targets after returning from a post-summer transfer window break.

Asked if the club, which signed Miguel Almiron for a club-record £21million fee last January, had money to spend in the New Year, Bruce said: “Yeah, there's a little bit.

“I think the really good thing now is to concentrate on the 25 (players) we have got, and get the best out of them so you put that away. It always is ‘how can we improve?’. I think that's the key.

“You see the difference in an Almiron or a Joelinton. That little bit of extra quality which comes in is hopefully what we're looking for now.

“We've got a nucleus of a very good squad. Rather than five or six (signings), maybe it's important to go for one or two. I think that's the way forward. We've got good players here. If we can just keep adding to the quality of them, then I think that's the way forward.”

Nickson and his scouting team are watching targets every week.

“To be fair, Steve, the chief scout, has had a couple of weeks break, because he has been working all May and June,” said Bruce.

“I have just seen what we're covering this week and last week, and it's vast the amount of work we do, so nothing changes in that respect. It doesn't stop.”

Meanwhile, Bruce will look to move Jack Colback and Henri Saivet out of the club in the January window.