Newcastle United are assessing a number of possible targets to sign on loan in the January transfer window – including West Ham midfielder Manuel Lanzini, according to 90min.
The Toon have turned to the loan market for next month, as they bid to strengthen Eddie Howe’s side. A handful of targets have already informed the St James’ Park hierarchy that they would be against permanent moves to Tyneside, given their fight to avoid relegation.
Premier League clubs can sign two players on temporary deals from other top-flight teams, but Newcastle currently have none. Club chiefs Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi are, therefore, taking the lead on utilising those two spots for mid-season reinforcements.
Newcastle have lodged enquiries into the availability of a raft of targets, while some agents have also offered their clients. The Toon are now weighing up which to target, with Lanzini, Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Dele Alli, Nathan Ake and Divock Origi under review.
Staveley and Ghodoussi have been evaluating Loftus-Cheek since October, while Howe has eyed Ake for the last month. Additionally, The Telegraph report Newcastle have debated a deal for Barkley for weeks, while the Northern Echo cited Origi as a loan target last month.
Lanzini could emerge as a leading loan transfer target for Newcastle given his lack of game time at West Ham. The Argentine has only started three of his 11 Premier League outings under David Moyes so far this season. But each of his starts came in their last three games.
Newcastle can sign Modric 2.0 with loan transfer for West Ham’s Lanzini
Lanzini repaid Moyes’ call to start West Ham’s £9m signing from Al Jazira in 2016 against Chelsea by converting a penalty for his second goal of the term and their first in a 3-2 win.
The £70k-a-week playmaker – whose contract expires in 2023 – had already struck home against Manchester City this season. He also offered his only assist so far at Aston Villa.
Moyes keeping Lanzini in the West Ham line-up may scupper Newcastle’s transfer interest. But Staveley and Ghodoussi luring him to the Toon can gift Howe a player like Luka Modric.
“I have never seen a player who reminds me of Luka Modric as much as Manuel Lanzini,” former Irons boss Slaven Bilic once noted in a column for the Evening Standard. “Luka is my favourite player. He is my prototype of a great midfielder.
“I put Luka in the Croatia Under-21s and then in the senior team and we have a special kind of bond. But Lanzini has the same kind of qualities.”
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