Newcastle are likely to sign James McCarthy as he prepares to exit Everton this summer, according to the Telegraph.
The newspaper claim the newly-promoted Premier League club are set to land the central midfielder, 26, as they name him as one of 30 Premier League players who will not play for their clubs again.
McCarthy has experienced a frustrating season at Goodison Park due to a series of niggling injuries that have prompted criticism from manager Ronald Koeman.
The Dutchman has expressed his disappointment that the player’s injuries have been exacerbated while on international duty for the Republic of Ireland.
The Telegraph report that McCarthy has little chance of being at Everton next season and his most likely club is expected to be Newcastle.
The north-east giants have been strongly linked with a move for McCarthy in recent transfer windows and Rafael Benitez is said to be a big admirer of the player.
He made just 13 appearances for Everton this season, spread across 678 minutes of action.
Koeman has also bought two new central midfielders in the last two windows, with Morgan Schneiderlin and Idrissa Gueye both making strong impressions since joining from Manchester United and Aston Villa respectively.
With Tom Davies also nailing down a regular spot in midfield, it appears that McCarthy, who joined from Wigan for £13million in the summer of 2013, is now surplus to requirements.