Report: Newcastle could now try to sign ‘world-class’ player from the Championship in January

Newcastle United are among several clubs monitoring the situation of Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi.

Eddie Howe will be looking in January to find someone to fill the gap left by Sandro Tonali following the Italy international's 10-month ban for illegal betting.

It's still not known whether the Magpies will go for a loan deal to see them through the rest of the season, or whether they will opt for a permanent addition to add to the options for next season.

Newcastle have several options on their list for January

Financially, a loan move does make sense given how close Newcastle were to reportedly going over budget in the summer, which is why Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips remains a favourite.

Current injury aside, it's unlikely Arsenal are going to be willing to loan us Emile Smith Rowe given all the fallout from the weekend, so we can probably chalk that one off.

Lee Smith/Action Images via Reuters

Now TeamTalk has reported that Newcastle join the likes of Tottenham and Barcelona as well as many others with an interest in Leicester's Wilfred Ndidi.

Ndidi has Premier League experience but is still willing to learn and improve

The Nigerian has 12 games under his belt for high-flying Leicester in the Championship and has amassed one goal and three assists in the process.

With his contract set to expire in the summer, January will be the perfect time to swoop as he should be available for a cut-price fee, reducing the risk for Newcastle.

He already has Premier League experience and the former Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers once referred to him as a 'world-class learner', something that absolutely fits the mould for an Eddie Howe transfer.

On paper, this looks like it would be a good move, but there are some other big names we'd have to fend off to get this one to work.