Newcastle could wreck Chelsea plans as £25m transfer bid weighed up for January window

Ralf Rangnick reviews Newcastle draw

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Newcastle’s new-found wealth has given them much more confidence in their fight against survival this season. And their riches could see them make a move for Everton full-back Lucas Digne in the January transfer window, reports state.

The Magpies were taken over by the Saudi Public Investment Fund on October 7, giving their fans renewed belief that they could become one of the country’s top clubs once more.

Links to Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland got the ball rolling although realistically it will be several years before Newcastle are signing players of their calibres.

Instead, rumours linking Kieran Trippier, James Tarkowski and Jesse Lingard to Newcastle are more realistic and signal the Magpies’ intentions to strengthen in several positions this winter.

And with want-away Everton left-back Digne seemingly available, ESPN claim that the Frenchman could be on the move to Newcastle rather than Chelsea.

Everton’s move for Vitaliy Mykolenko from Dynamo Kyiv has seen Digne made available after a reported bust-up with Rafa Benitez.

Chelsea are in the market for possible left-back targets in January after it was announced Ben Chilwell is set to miss the rest of the season with knee surgery.

Thomas Tuchel has continued to berate the injury crisis that has consistently plagued his club this season, having fallen eight points behind in the title race due to a plethora of stars being injured.

Tuchel would prefer a loan move for the Frenchman, who has attained 43 caps for his country since 2014, given that Chilwell will be fit again in the summer.

But Everton would prefer to sell the former Barcelona left-back permanently, given his less-than-favourable relationship with Benitez and the arrival of Mykolenko.

And Newcastle are thought to think that a permanent deal could be done in January.

The Toffees are believed to want a fee in the region of £25million, a fee more than attainable for Newcastle given reports that they can spend up to £190m in winter whilst still avoiding FFP repercussions.

The Magpies are currently second-bottom in the Premier League, with the worst defensive record in the entire division.

And although Digne has also garnered interest from Inter Milan and Napoli, it is not clear whether either club will meet Everton’s asking price.

A move to Chelsea would surely be preferred for Digne but they are unlikely to try to sign the Everton player permanently which could pave the way for a move to St James’ Park.

Eddie Howe’s Newcastle return to action in the Premier League when they take on Watford on January 15 in a huge clash at the foot of the table.

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