Newcastle United may dip into the market this month to bolster their squad heading into the second half of the season during the January transfer window.

Eddie Howe used the window to great effect last year as he brought in Bruno Guimaraes, Matt Targett, Dan Burn, Chris Wood, and Kieran Trippier to improve the team.

The Magpies are currently third in the Premier League table and strengthening the roster in the coming weeks could help them to push on for a Champions League place by the end of the campaign.

One player who could be on his way to St. James' Park before the end of the month is Boca Juniors central midfielder Alan Varela, who is said to be of interest to the club.

The 21-year-old gem reportedly has a release clause of €20m (£18m) and the Magpies supposedly made an offer of €18m (£16m), which falls just short of leaving the Argentine side with no choice but to accept.

Journalist Dean Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that a move for Varela "sounds plausible" and claimed that the club "like" the South American market.

Howe could now finally land a replacement for recently-departed defensive midfielder Isaac Hayden by securing a deal to sign the Boca Juniors star.

Hayden left the Magpies last summer to sign for Championship side Norwich on loan, after playing 14 times in the Premier League for the club last term.

The Englishman made 3.0 tackles and interceptions per match but his average Sofascore rating of 6.60 suggests that he did not do enough on a weekly basis, as he ranked 24th in the squad in that respect.

Varela, on the other hand, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.02 across 22 appearances in the Argentine top-flight for Boca Juniors in 2022, which would place him eighth in the current squad if he could replicate his form in England.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig once hailed him as "wonderful" and a "controller" and his statistics for his club back that up, as he has made 4.0 tackles and interceptions per game and completed 88% of his passes.

These statistics show that the 21-year-old is an energetic gem who can consistently win the ball back for his side, whilst also being reliable in possession and rarely giving up the ball to the opposition.

Therefore, Varela could finally replace Hayden as the long-term defensive midfielder in Howe's squad and Dan Ashworth must now push to complete this deal in the coming weeks.