The January transfer window has been and gone for Newcastle United as they completed a number of signings throughout the month.

Eddie Howe was able to bring in Matt Targett, Chris Wood, Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn to bolster his Magpies squad.

He is now tasked with integrating them into the setup and deploying them in a way to help the club avoid relegation to the Championship. If they are able to successfully steer clear of the bottom three, attention may then turn to the summer transfer window and what PIF may look to do to push on to the next level.

Imagine him & Joelinton

One player who could be on his way to St James' Park at the end of the campaign is Hoffenheim midfielder Florian Grillitsch.

German outlet Kicker recently reported that the Magpies are one of the clubs looking into a deal to sign him on a free transfer in the summer, with no club managing to tie him down to a pre-contract agreement in January.

He played with current Newcastle beast Joelinton in Germany, so imagine what their partnership could look like in the Premier League for Howe's side now that the Brazilian has had his position changed.

The former Hoffenheim marksman has achieved SofaScore ratings of 7.0 or higher in each of his last four appearances in the middle of the park. This shows that he has adapted superbly to his new role and could thrive playing alongside his former team-mate.

Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann previously hailed Grillitsch's "incredible ability", and the 26-year-old could use his talents to improve Newcastle's team.

In the Bundesliga this season, the Austrian has averaged a phenomenal SofaScore rating of 7.28 for Hoffenheim. He has made a whopping four tackles and interceptions per game, whilst winning an impressive 64% of his duels throughout the campaign.

This shows that he is a defensive powerhouse in the middle of the park who is capable of delivering consistently brilliant displays at the top level, which could work well with Joelinton's powerful running and attacking drive.

The pair previously spent 1,849 minutes across 27 games playing on the pitch at the same time for Hoffenheim. They have a pre-existing relationship which could allow them to hit the ground running as a pair for Newcastle, potentially playing in a three-man midfield alongside Guimaraes.

This is why the Magpies must strike a pre-contract agreement with the 26-year-old before another club snaps him up. They failed to do so during the January transfer window and must now rectify their mistake by swooping for him in the coming weeks ahead of an official unveiling in the summer.

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