Newcastle have made enquiries about pricey signing

After losing a bit of ground in the Championship title race through the winter Newcastle managaer Rafa Benitez will surely be keen to spend some cash in the transfer window to strengthen his grip on those automatic promotion places as the business end of the season beckons.

And latest reports bring exciting news on that front with rumours of a possible creative addition to the side.

Local news outlet, The Newcastle Chronicle, reports:

Newcastle United transfers: Magpies enquire about Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney.

Cairney joined Fulham from Blackburn Rovers for £3.5million in 2015 but after the 25-year-old made a success of the move, the Cottagers want a huge fee for the central midfielder.

The Scotland Under 21 international who has six appearances and one goal for his country has been on fire over the last 18 months.

He played for Hull between 2009-2014 before a loan and then permanent move to Blackburn Rovers.

He moved to Fulham two years ago for £3.5m and then hit 13 goals in 67 games for the Cottagers – form which has drawn interest from bigger clubs.

The silky midfielder ticks most boxes. He’s quick, reads the game beautifully, isn’t scared to put in a tackle and is a lovely striker of the ball – as witnessed by his goal ratio.

At 25 years of age there is still room for improvement and Cairney looks like the real deal. The fee being mooted could be a stumbling block for Newcastle but the player may well be tempted by a move north.

Newcastle fans: is this the sort of signing you need in January or should you be reinforcing the front line first?