Rafa Benitez is hoping to bring in Chelsea kid Ruben Loftus-Cheek to boost his side’s promotion bid.
According to a report in The Daily Mail the 20-year-old will be sent out on loan next month with Benitez hoping to use his Stamford Bridge connections to bring the player to St James’ Park.
Chelsea would prefer to see how Loftus-Cheek fares against Premier League opposition but Benitez is hoping to put up a case to justify taking the midfielder down a division.
Despite a flying start to the season Newcastle’s Boxing Day defeat at home to Sheffield Wednesday allowed Brighton to go to the top of the table with a comfortable win over QPR on Tuesday.
Everything about Newcastle, including Benitez’s contract, was geared towards ensuring an instant return to the top flight with funds available in January to ensure that they go back up at the earliest opportunity.
The former Liverpool and Chelsea boss is also believed to be looking for a striker and left sided midfielder as well as bringing in Loftus-Cheek.