Report identifies three first-team Newcastle United players who are facing a Toon exit in January

Newcastle United don't have the most robust squad in the Premier League, but at the same time have a few players who need to be moved on in January to alleviate the wage bill for potential incoming players.

It's not just the wages that are a concern, there are several players approaching the last six months of their contract and January will be Newcastle's last chance to bring in any sort of transfer fee for them before they leave for free in the summer.

We already know that an exit strategy is being drawn up for Miguel Almiron after failing to find him a new club in each of the last two transfer windows.

River Plate are the latest club reportedly showing an interest in the Paraguay international, and given Miggy's love for the club, as long as Newcastle and River Plate can come to an agreement over a fee, you'd imagine that Almiron would jump at the chance to make that move.

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Keiran Trippier and Callum Wilson are up for grabs in January

The Boot Room have today reported that two other players that Newcastle will seriously consider selling in January are former England internationals Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson.

Trippier has been angling for a move since the summer without actually pushing or causing a scene, and at 34 years old, it's probably time he did move on if he still harbours expectations of regular game time.

Meanwhile, Callum Wilson is one of those players who has an expiring contract in the summer and isn't likely to be offered a new deal. The 32-year-old hasn't even featured on the bench for Newcastle this season so he won't be a huge miss.

How much will losing all three affect Newcastle's season?

Of course, all three currently occupy a first-team squad space and do provide some form of cover - that's debatable in Wilson's case this season, mind.

It's therefore believed that Eddie Howe will only give the green light if he feels that a replacement can be sourced.

Whether that means an immediate replacement or whether he believes he can wait it out until the summer will remain to be seen. We've managed so far without Wilson and Trippier's appearances have been very few and far between so we can probably do without them for the rest of the season.

Miguel Almiron could have been a problem with only Jacob Murphy as an alternative, but Eddie Howe has used neither in the last two games, so perhaps we can afford to have a clear out in January and go all-out in the summer.