The Chelsea starlet will remain at Stamford Bridge but Tom Cairney could be the perfect alternative for Newcastle United.
With a third of the January transfer window already consigned to very short memory, Newcastle United are still no closer to bringing a new central midfielder through the doors of St James’ Park.
Reported targets Fabian Delph and Tom Cleverley remain on the periphery at the Etihad and Goodison Park while Tom Cairney, who The Chronicle claim has been the subject of some rather tentative interest from Tyneside, appears unlikely to be granted a mid-season exit with Fulham pushing for promotion.
Therefore, the news that Ruben Loftus-Cheek in black and white will remain nothing more than a pipe dream is not the harsh reality that Newcastle fans wanted to wake up to.
“Ruben is an important player for Chelsea,” Blues manager Antonio Conte told talkSPORT, cited by the Newcastle Chronicle.
“Absolutely (he’s not leaving). I don’t want this. For Ruben I don’t want this.”
The Daily Mail reported last month that The Magpies had sounded out the England Under-21 international as the perfect addition to a midfield whose vulnerabilities have been brutally exposed by Jonjo Shelvey’s suspension.
However, with the deal a no-go, Rafa Benitez has found himself in a rather sticky situation. Of the aforementioned targets, Cairney is the most suitable for Newcastle’s system, with his creativity and five goals this season purpoting to add a valuable forward thrust to a recently timid central midfield.
However, The Chronicle add that Newcastle would need to pay a huge fee for the talented midfielder, meaning any potential deal looks unlikely.
Meanwhile, other reported targets Cleverley and Delph are not renowned for their ability to score or create, meaning they would offer very little in the way of improvements in the final third.
Therefore, Benitez has the rather unenviable task of convincing owner Mike Ashley to part with a substantial fee for Cairney, a player completely unproven at the top level, ahead of two big-name England internationals. Or, more likely, uncover another potential target.
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