According to reports in The Mirror, Leicester City are considering selling three of their players during the January transfer window, including former club-record signing Ahmed Musa.
The Nigeria international cost the Foxes £16m when he joined them from CSKA Moscow in 2016, but the forward has struggled to become a regular fixture in the starting XI since.
In fact, the 25-year-old has failed to make the matchday squad for any of the east Midlands outfit’s 12 Premier League matches so far this term, with his only appearance coming in the Carabao Cup against Sheffield United in August – a match that he scored in.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United suffered their third successive top flight defeat when they were beaten 4-1 by Manchester United on Saturday, which has left them 11th in the table and five points above the relegation zone ahead of the busy festive period.
Magpies manager Rafa Benitez may well be looking to add to his attacking options in the New Year considering his team has only netted 11 times in a dozen matches, and bringing Musa to the club could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons Newcastle should sign the Foxes forward in January…
Goal threat
While things may not have gone for him at Leicester – mainly because many of his appearances have come from the substitutes’ bench – Musa’s record at CSKA Moscow previously suggests he has a lot to give his next club if he does leave the King Power Stadium in January.
The Nigeria international scored 54 times in 168 appearances in total for the Russia outfit from a range of attacking positions, and he could certainly increase Newcastle’s goal threat in the second-half of the campaign.
Pace
When Newcastle have the likes of Joselu, Ayoze Perez and Matt Ritchie in their front four, they perhaps lack the pace that can make them a danger on the break – especially away from home – and we have seen evidence of that this season.
The Magpies have drawn blanks on the road against Brighton and Hove Albion, Huddersfield Town and Burnley already this term, and you can’t help but feel that if they had someone with Musa’s speed and acceleration they could have caused more problems to those organised and resolute defences.
Availability
The January transfer window can be a difficult month to bring in new players because of the reluctance of other clubs to sell them, or those particular individuals not wanting to move halfway through the season.
Of course, it can also produce inflated transfer fees. But the fact that Leicester are seemingly willing to offload Musa in the New Years suggests that he is a realistic and attainable target for Newcastle in what could prove to be a critical period before an important second-half of their Premier League campaign.
Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.
