After a disappointing season so far, Newcastle United are in desperate need of some game-changers in the January transfer window. The Magpies didn't do enough in the summer and have seen many of their arrivals fail to make the desired impact on Eddie Howe's side. Now out of the Champions League, out of the Carabao Cup and ninth in the Premier League, those at St James' Park have a month to hand Howe the tools to turn things around.
In need of a spark, Newcastle could turn to a European star who can leave his current club for a bargain price in the January transfer window – but only if the deal happens extremely quickly.
Newcastle transfer news
Watching on as Sandro Tonali was hit with a lengthy ban for betting breaches and as Harvey Barnes suffered a frustrating injury, Howe saw both of his main summer arrivals quickly become void. With Lewis Hall falling out of favour and Tino Livremento the only one to really make some kind of impact, it's fair to say it was a transfer window to forget at St James' Park. However, Newcastle could make up for that this month by signing a Serie A star.
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According to Corriere della Sera, via Sport Witness, Newcastle have made an approach to sign Paulo Dybala from AS Roma this month, with the forward's release clause sitting at just €13m (£11m) for clubs outside of Italy, but only up until January 15.
In what could be the bargain of the season, Newcastle will have to reportedly fend off interest from Aston Villa and Chelsea if they want to sign the former Juventus man this month. Only time will tell who, if anyone, wins the race for Dybala's signature, given that the clause expires in a matter of days.
"Quality" Dybala would provide missing Newcastle spark
Newcastle have lacked that crucial star power needed to be sitting among the top sides in England's top flight this season. But make no mistake about it, Dybala's stats show that he can more than provide that much-needed spark, despite the fact he is nearing the end of his prime.
The World Cup winner has five goals and six assists in just 13 appearances in Serie A this term, although that low number of games does reveal the ugly side to a possible move – his injury issues, with ten matches missed this season alone.
Now on 172 career goals, the Argentine has rediscovered his best form at Roma however, quickly becoming a hero under Jose Mourinho, who was full of praise for his forward last season.
The former Premier League manager said, via The Mirror: "My sensation is that [Dybala] was seeking the joy he had lost more than confidence. He found it here, with a squad that understands him, a coach that loves him, a position on the field with players like Pellegrini, Cristante and Mancini he has strong characters around him in leadership roles.
"Dybala is a nice boy. He has the quality to play for the biggest clubs in the world, but he has found joy here. I gave him absolute freedom to come on tonight and he could come off even two minutes later if he didn’t feel up to it, but he played 30 minutes of extra time and 25 minutes regular, and he finished on a high.”
