Newcastle United are to lodge a January loan bid for Liverpool striker Danny Ings, according to the Guardian.
The newspaper claim that manager Rafael Benitez wants to add firepower to his team and will sanction a fresh move for Ings, 25, after a failed approach over the summer.
The Guardian report that Newcastle are expected to lodge a loan bid for Ings but face strong competition for his signature from Premier League rivals West Ham, Crystal Palace and Stoke City.
The one-time England international has made just 12 appearances for Liverpool since his £8million arrival from Burnley in the summer of 2015 but is fully recovered from injury and has been playing regularly for the club’s Under-23s.
Good move for Newcastle?
Yes, definitely. Ings has an impressive scoring record and was one of the most in-demand strikers in the country before quitting Burnley, where he scored 43 times in 130 matches. His Liverpool career has not got going due to injury and horrible luck but he is still young enough and, crucially, good enough to make a big impact in the Premier League. Ings showed recent when scoring four goals in Liverpool Under-23s’ demolition of Bristol City that he has not lost his scoring touch and he has made steady progress for the age-group side as he rebuilds his fitness and confidence. Joining Newcastle in January would enable him to play regularly and rediscover his mojo. He would be an upgrade on the current striker options available to Rafael Benitez such as Joseulu, Dwight Gayle and Aleksandar Mitrovic. It is a move that could suit both parties to a tee.
This Is Futbol rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
Ings is contracted to Liverpool until 2020 and it has been widely reported that he could be allowed to leave on loan in January in order to build up his fitness and play first-team football. Jurgen Klopp has made no secret of the fact that Ings is behind Roberto Firmino, Daniel Sturridge and Dominic Solanke in the striker pecking order at Anfield but Newcastle would need to fight off considerable competition to persuade Ings, as well as negotiating a deal that suits Liverpool. The Daily Star report that Ings’ current deal is worth £60,000-a-week, and the north-east giants would need to pay a significant portion of his wages to make it happen.
This Is Futbol rating: 6/10