Newcastle will have to spend record breaking fee to sign 23-year-old in January

Newcastle United will likely look to sign a new central midfielder in January.

While a new forward is likely to be on Newcastle’s list when the transfer window opens in a few days, midfield is said to be the priority.

Only Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali joined during the PIF era to bolster that position. However, the Italian has been suspended from football until August, putting Eddie Howe in the clear.

As a result, Kalvin Phillips has been constantly linked.

Nonetheless, given the nature of the transfer rumour mill, new names continue to emerge.

The newest is Celtic’s Matt O’Riley.

Matt O’Riley transfer news: Newcastle latest

 

 

 

Newcastle have entered the competition to recruit the 23-year-old, according to TEAMtalk.

The club is known to have scouted the former MK Dons youth player both at club level and during his Denmark outings.

Scouts are said to have been present at Celtic Park, with West Ham and Leicester among the other teams said to be interested.
Celtic, on the other hand, are unlikely to make things simple.

According to reports, they are willing to pay up to £25 million for the midfielder, which would be the largest amount ever paid in Scottish football.

Matt O’Riley to Newcastle: January move unwise

While O’Riley would be a fantastic addition, it seems counterintuitive to pursue a player of his caliber during a notoriously difficult window like January.

Newcastle face a difficult task if they are to return to the Champions League. With that in mind, seeking for a project player at this stage does not appear to be the wisest use of money that are still constrained by FFP concerns.

The team requires players who can hit the ground running during the season’s final stretch. O’Riley could be that, but the risk appears to be too large.