Newcastle United are considering making approaches for three Chelsea stars this January, with Eddie Howe keen on Conor Gallagher, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Hakim Ziyech.
Chelsea have just made a mega-money signing in Mykhaylo Mudryk on a staggering €100m (£88.7m) deal, so the Blues may look to recoup some transfer funds by selling players.
This is good news for Howe, who is keen to add reinforcements with the quality to help them qualify and compete in the Champions League next season.
The Magpies have enjoyed an incredible start to the season, winning 10 of their 19 Premier League games so far, taking them to third in the table and just one point behind Manchester City.
They recently picked up a narrow 1-0 win over Fulham at St. James’ Park, but have already beaten the likes of Chelsea and Spurs – suggesting they have a real chance of finishing in the top four.
With their recent billionaire takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund or ‘PIF,’ Newcastle have plenty of money to spend and they will likely make a few signings in what remains of the current window.
According to The Telegraph, Howe has now put Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek and Ziyech at the top of his shortlist and a stunning triple raid on Chelsea is not out of the question.
All three players would bring quality to Newcastle’s squad, which they will need if they want to maintain their current excellent run of form.
Triple Chelsea swoop could solidify Newcastle’s top-four spot
Conor Gallagher is already a regular in Gareth Southgate’s England team despite being just 22, so there is no doubting his ability.
Last season, he enjoyed a successful season-long loan with Crystal Palace, scoring eight goals in 34 league appearances and winning the Eagles’ Player of the Year Award.
Palace tried to sign the centre-midfielder permanently last summer, but Chelsea were unwilling to let him leave at the time. Now, though, he could leave Stamford Bridge if Newcastle put their money where their mouth is.
As for Loftus-Cheek, the Englishman is similar to Gallagher in that he is a midfielder but also offers different qualities on the pitch.
He is taller, stronger and probably just about quicker too, with the ability to play in a defensive, central or attacking role in the middle of the park.
However, given Loftus-Cheek is already 26, you could argue that Gallagher has a much higher ceiling. Although, they would both be excellent additions for Newcastle.
Ziyech, on the other hand, is more of an out-and-out attacking player and has shown some flashes of absolute brilliance for Chelsea since joining the club from Ajax in 2020.
Overall, he has played 97 times for the Blues, scoring 14 goals and making 11 assists. He was also a key part of the team that went on to win the Champions League in 2021.
More recently, though, he has been somewhat out of favour with Graham Potter, making just nine league appearances this season.
This is despite having an amazing World Cup with Morocco, where he helped his country to become the first African nation in history to reach the semi-finals.
Nevertheless, Chelsea are willing to sell him this month, but only for a suitable price.
Combining the value of all three players, based on Transfermarkt’s valuations, Newcastle will have to theoretically spend around £77m to sign all three of them.
The trio have found consistent game-time hard to come by this season, but they are still important squad players for Chelsea, so Newcastle make have to make an offer in excess of that figure.
While the deal could prove to be pricey, all three have Champions League experience and possess the quality to help get the Magpies into the top four, so they may well be worth a punt for Howe.
SOURCE: teamtalk.com
