Newcastle United could potentially make a move for Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the summer with his time at Chelsea in doubt.

Is Loftus-Cheek available in the summer?

Loftus-Cheek has now been playing his football at Stamford Bridge - bar two loan moves away - for his entire career having come through the club's youth system.

However, it does seem as if his time in west London could potentially be coming to an end with reports in January suggesting interest from the Magpies.

At the time, it was believed Graham Potter would be reluctant to see the Englishman leave due to their ongoing injury issues.

But ahead of the summer, Football Insider has suggested this is the type of player who could be landing at St. James' Park with his time at Chelsea possibly coming to an end:

"Ruben Loftus-Cheek is another one to watch at Chelsea. Graham Potter loves him but he's not playing a lot and he's a player that would also fit that mould.

"That's the type of player you're going to see come into Newcastle."

Would Loftus-Cheek improve Newcastle?

Perhaps as a result of Chelsea's injury issues over the course of the season, Loftus-Cheek has actually established himself as a key member of this Chelsea side this term.

The 27-year-old has racked up 18 appearances in the Premier League to date and 16 of those have come from the starting XI (via Transfermarkt).

And he is certainly a player who has shown his versatility in the Chelsea side having played across a number of positions over the course of the 2022/23 campaign.

He has mainly operated from the midfield but has also played out wide at right wing-back when needed which may not necessarily be needed at Newcastle with Eddie Howe playing with a flat-back four.

But midfield is certainly a position that Newcastle would like to strengthen in the summer having seen their options deplete in January after Jonjo Shelvey's departure.

However, there would be the question of whether Loftus-Cheek would be a player who could improve Howe's starting XI despite Thomas Tuchel claiming he "has everything".

In comparison to Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff, Loftus-Cheek has provided fewer shot-creating actions and fewer tackles than Willock per 90 minutes (via FBref).

As well as offering no goals or assists this season in the Premier League, there would also be the question of whether Chelsea would even deal with Newcastle.

On paper, Loftus-Cheek may not appear to be an attractive option ahead of the summer but Howe has shown already at Newcastle that he can develop players into stars.