Newcastle United have been boosted by the news that an “exceptional” transfer target is keen on a move to St James’ Park in the January transfer window.

Newcastle eyeing Sandro Tonali replacements

The Magpies could look to improve in a number of areas when January arrives, but it has been no great surprise to see numerous midfielders linked with a move to the club, with that position seen as the main point of focus. That’s because of Sandro Tonali’s ten-month ban for betting offences, which means he won’t play a single minute for the rest of this season, acting as a significant blow for Eddie Howe.

There is the option of Newcastle simply making do with their current options, considering they are still getting by with the players they have in the middle of the park, but that could be deemed a risk the longer the season goes on, with fixtures coming thick and fast in various competitions.

The likes of Kalvin Phillips, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Neves and Scott McTominay have all been linked with joining Newcastle, with a loan move looking most likely. It could even be a short-term deal until the end of the campaign comes to fruition, at which point Tonali would be edging towards his return to action.

Kalvin Phillips wants Newcastle move

According to a new update from Calciomercato [via Sport Witness], Phillips is specifically interested in joining Newcastle in January, with the report stating that the Magpies “lead the pack of clubs” looking to snap him up.

While Juventus have also been seen as contenders to bring in the Manchester City and England ace, it is claimed that “Phillips is not Juventus’ first choice and Juventus are not Phillips’ first-choice”. Instead, Newcastle are the club that the 27-year-old would like to join, seeing it as his best destination as he looks to boost his chances of featuring prominently for his country at Euro 2024.

Phillips has always arguably felt like the Magpies’ best option to bring in when the January transfer window opens, so the fact that he would like to head to St James’ can only be a good thing. Unlike Kante and Neves, he is still playing in the Premier League rather than the Saudi Pro League, so he could be more ready to make a seamless switch from City to Newcastle.

While the Englishman’s year-and-a-bit-long spell at City hasn’t gone to plan yet, he has still done his bit for the cause and was part of a squad that won a historic treble last season. Pep Guardiola may be happy to see Phillips move on in the near future, but the legendary Spaniard has still spoken highly of him, saying he is “exceptional in many things”.

The former Leeds United star could be a perfect short-term replacement for Tonali, providing similar energy and technical ability in midfield, and if he were to come in and impress, it could even be that Newcastle look to sign him on a permanent deal once the 2023/24 season reaches its conclusion.