Newcastle will make a final enquiry over the availability of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher on deadline day, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek is also an option.
Eddie Howe was a long-term admirer of Gallagher even before his loan spell at West Brom in 2020/21 and the 22-year-old could be allowed to leave Stamford Bridge. The Magpies want to strengthen in the middle of the park, with Jonjo Shelvey set to join Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the season.
But, according to the Daily Telegraph, Chelsea are unwilling to loan him to Newcastle as they see them as a direct rival for European qualification. They have also slapped a price tag in excess of £50million on Gallagher, who has made 25 appearances in all competitions for the Blues this season.
Newcastle have contemplated a permanent transfer and they will move for him again in the summer should they not get a deal over the line this month for the England international. Although a deal at this stage would be unlikely, the Magpies are still interested in Gallagher and a transfer could still occur as Howe is keen.
Meanwhile, it is understood Loftus-Cheek is being monitored by the St James' Park hierarchy, and he could be free to leave the Blues to free up space in the 25-man Premier League squad list. However, Loftus-Cheek's wages are a stumbling block, with the former Fulham loanee earning per week £150,000 at Chelsea.
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Another target for the Magpies is Sander Berge, who has been on Newcastle's radar for some time, but Fulham are expected to win the race for the Norwegian star. Berge is likely to make the £20m switch to Craven Cottage and bolster their midfield department as they try and finish in a European place this term.
Shelvey's proposed departure has left the Magpies a midfielder short, but Howe may risk having a thinner squad in order to prioritise deals in the summer window. Speaking in his pre-Southampton press conference ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg on Tuesday, Howe said: "We'll see what we can do in the market to see if we can bring someone in. In terms of permanent signings, that will be very difficult but we'll look for a loan situation.
"But it has to be the right player. It will be very difficult to keep Jonjo currently with where he wants his career to go. You can keep players that want to leave but you have to take every situation independently and try and judge everything. It's a very difficult situation because, from a footballing perspective, I definitely want to keep Jonjo, but there's his situation to think about."
Newcastle completed their first signing of the window on Sunday as Anthony Gordon arrived from Everton in a deal worth around £45m. The 21-year-old has penned a long-term contract in the North-East.
