Three players Newcastle United must sell in January, including Championship hero

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Rafa Benitez has his favourites at Newcastle United – but there are a number of players who simply appear to be on borrowed time.

Rafa Benitez wants new signings at Newcastle United in January and a potentially big-money takeover could make that possible. But who will have to leave to make room for the new faces?

Aleksandar Mitrovic

This one almost goes without saying. Mitrovic is arguably the one Newcastle striker equipped to score goals at a decent rate in the Premier League having netted nine in 22 starts in 2015/16 following his £13 million move from Anderlecht, per the BBC.

It’s the firebrand Serb’s character rather than his quality that appears to have cost him the trust of his manager, however. Since picking up the stupidest of red cards after a needless elbow on West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini in August, Mitrovic has played just 12 minutes of Premier League football.

The Chronicle reports that Newcastle tried to sell Mitrovic in the summer and it appears unlikely that he’ll be hanging around for much longer.

Karl Darlow

Goalkeeper Darlow may have been one of the standout players in Newcastle’s Championship winning campaign but that has far from guaranteed him a place in Benitez’s future first-team plans.

Since Rob Elliot returned from a cruciate ligament injury that had kept him on the sidelines for a year, the former Nottingham Forest ‘keeper has been forced into the background.

The Sun reports that Benitez has his heart set on a new number one in January, Real Sociedad’s Geronimo Rulli on his radar, and there will be no shortage of takers amongst Championship clubs if Darlow is to be forced out.

Mo Diame

Newcastle signed Diame in the summer of 2016 just weeks after his long-range Wembley wondergoal secured Hull City’s return to the Premier League in the play-off final.

Such moments of magic have been few and far between in black and white, however, with Diame’s languid, lethargic style grating on supporters who demand hard-work and application above all else.

The 30-year-old has started once all season, the 1-0 loss away at Burnley, and should be one of the first names out the door if Benitez lands the creative number 10 he’s been craving in January.