The major January transfers Newcastle have been linked with - and the chances they sign

With nearly three months to go until the January transfer window opens for business, it’s difficult to gauge just how busy Newcastle United might be. They’ve started life under new head coach Matthias Jaissle in broadly satisfactory fashion but there is still a gap between their current form and the ambitions they developed during the Eddie Howe years – and some upgrades might be required if the Magpies want to press on after the winter.

While guessing exactly what Newcastle might do is difficult at this point in time, the rumour mill has thrown plenty of names up into the air anyway. Below, we’ve taken a look at five of the players who have been most firmly or frequently linked with a switch to St. James’ Park, and rated each of them out of 10 according to how likely it is that a deal gets done.

Petar Sucic - Inter

Some summer reports suggested that Newcastle made a late bid worth as much as £35m for Inter Milan midfielder Sucic, and it seems that they’re still keen – and according to some recent reports, Inter could be moving towards a point at which they’re receptive to the idea of a sale.

That’s because Inter have recently switched sporting director and the new broom is apparently more open to accepting big offers for their players. All very speculative, it must be said, and Newcastle have shown no signs of making a second bid as yet, but they certainly appear to hold an interest.

The 22-year-old Croatia international has had a patchy start to the 2026/27 season, which might help to grease the wheels a little bit – or put Newcastle off another bid if his form doesn’t improve. One to watch, but we’ve seen nothing concrete to suggest that a deal is actually likely as yet.

January transfer likelihood rating – 6/10

Tyler Morton - Lyon

The former Liverpool midfielder, who has improved quite considerably since moving to Lyon last summer, is being linked with a move back to England with increasing regularity, with Newcastle supposedly among the sides keen to sign him – alongside his boyhood club, who could allegedly bring him back to Anfield.

While the stories linking Morton with various clubs appear to be somewhat speculative, the notion that he might make a winter move isn’t specious. Lyon are buried under a mountain of debt and need to make any sizeable sales they can. Morton is among their most saleable assets as it stands, and cashing in could be a necessity.

In other words, the 23-year-old, who operates as a deep-lying midfield playmaker, is available almost by default. The question isn’t whether Newcastle could sign him – it’s whether or not they actually want to. We haven’t been able to verify suggestion that they are.

Likelihood rating – 6/10

Yasin Ayari - Brighton

Sticking with the midfield theme, Newcastle have also been periodically linked with Swedish midfielder Ayari, whose contract with Brighton & Hove Albion is starting to run down.

Ayari’s current deal expires in 2028 – including a one-year option with the Seagulls are expected to activate imminently – and attempts to negotiate a new contract have yet to bear fruit. If Ayari doesn’t sign, then Brighton will have a relatively small window of opportunity to sell at top dollar, a window which begins and arguably ends in January.

Newcastle are one of a number of teams said to be monitoring the situation, and it may be more a case of teams keeping an eye out in case they can bag a bargain down the line. Our information suggests that Ayari is expected to stay on the south coast until the end of the season, even if he doesn’t put pen to paper in the coming weeks.

Likelihood rating – 4/10

Aaron Bouwman - Ajax

The midfield isn’t the only positional group under the microscope, it would seem. Newcastle’s defence hasn’t been especially effective thus far and with Fabian Schär and Dan Burn getting fairly long in the tooth, recent reports suggest that they’re looking for some more youthful reinforcements in the form of Ajax teenager Bouwman.

Local media stories suggest that Newcastle first showed interest in the young Dutchman in the summer and continue to track his progress now that he’s established himself as a regular starter in the Netherlands.

It’s not clear whether a January bid is likely, nor whether it’s likely to succeed, but the interest does seem to be genuine and Bouwman is a very impressive young player. One to keep an eye on, for certain, but it might be a deal that’s earmarked for the next off-season. A centre-back isn’t an urgent requirement as it stands.

Likelihood rating – 5/10

Fikayo Tomori - AC Milan

Ah, this old chestnut. If Newcastle do decide that they need a centre-back more immediately, then they could turn to Tomori, who is allegedly being offered around by AC Milan as his contract winds towards its end next summer.

Tomori has been linked with Newcastle (and practically every other club in the top flight) dozens of times down the years and has always stayed put at the San Siro, but given that his contract is winding down it does, admittedly, finally look reasonably likely that he’ll end up back at England.

We believe that Milan have indeed been casting around for suitors and Newcastle may well be one of the clubs that they’ve contacted (although we haven’t yet been able to verify that). But he may not be going anywhere until the end of the season, and he could go to any one of a few dozen different teams in England and abroad.

Likelihood rating – 4/10