OPINION
Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez will have been frantically identifying targets for the upcoming January window, with several positions in need of reinforcement if the Magpies are to survive this season.
The main areas in question are at full-back and in attack, with Newcastle managing just seven goals in 11 Premier League games so far this season.
While there will be focus on the need for another striker, the Magpies are also lacking in the area just behind the front men, with a number ten also a priority for Benitez.
Ayoze Perez may have scored the winner against Watford at the weekend but the Spaniard has been on poor form all season, and the Toon need a bit more quality in that position.
According to Calciomercato, Borussia Dortmund have transfer-listed playmaker Shinji Kagawa, with the Japan international set to leave the club in January or the summer.
Kagawa has made just four appearances in all competitions for Dortmund this season and now looks set for a swift exit after losing his first-team place at the Westfalenstadion.
The 29-year-old has had a previous spell in the Premier League with Manchester United, and while critics will point to those two seasons being rather unspectacular, Kagawa is most certainly a player who would vastly improve Newcastle.
His experience at the top level is unrivalled among the rest of the Magpies squad, and the creativity and goal threat he brings to that central area could be a spark to ignite their floundering season.
While his previous spell in the Premier League is seen as unsuccessful, Kagawa’s time at Manchester United would mean that he can hit the ground running as soon as he arrives on Tyneside.
And, in terms of price, Kagawa would surely not cost Newcastle too much, with the Japanese star returning to Dortmund for just £6.5million in 2014, and the Bundesliga club being keen to sell.
All in all this is a January swoop which makes perfect sense for the Magpies, and Benitez must put plans in motion to make it happen.