Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri is keen to swap Tom Cairney with Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey in January, according to The Sun.
The national newspaper claim that Fulham are willing to part company with their club captain as he has fallen out of favour with Raineri.
The Sun report that Rafa Benitez is an admirer of Cairney with the Magpies having made offers for him in the past and Fulham are hoping that they will be able to tempt Newcastle into parting with Shelvey in January as a result.
Good move for Newcastle?
It’s hard to say.
Cairney plays in a more advanced role than Shelvey in midfield and could easily become the No.10 the Magpies have been screaming out for.
The current Fulham midfielder has a creative flair about him and is able to play sublime passes in order to create chances for his side.
However that said Cairney hasn’t exactly set the world alight this season and injury problems have continued to follow him.
So they may be better off sticking with Shelvey as even though the 26-year-old hasn’t fired on all cylinders this season, he’s arguably among the best passers in the Premier League.
This is Futbol rating 5/10
Likely to happen?
No. It’s hard to imagine this happen even if Raineri really likes Shelvey and Benitez really rates Cairney.
The Sun may claim that Shelvey could be tempted with a move to London due to originally being from Essex but he seems settled and happy at St James Park.
Also it’s hard to imagine Mike Ashley sanctioning the exit of one of the Magpies’ key players without Fulham being willing to line his pockets as there’s no mention of them wanting to pay cash plus Cairney to get Shelvey’s services.
There’s also the fact that The Sun described Fulham as having a back-up plan already in case they can’t get Shelvey as it says they will pursue West Ham’s Pedro Obiang if unsuccessful.
This is Futbol rating 2/10