An update has emerged on Burnley captain Ben Mee, regarding interest from Newcastle United...

What's the talk?

According to The Sun, the Magpies are eyeing up a swoop for the former Manchester City man ahead of the January transfer window.

The report claims that the centre-back is out of contract at the end of the season, with the upcoming window representing Sean Dyche's final chance to recoup a fee for his services.

Key issue

Eddie Howe could solve a key issue for Newcastle by bringing Mee to St. James' Park ahead of the second half of the campaign. It is no secret that the club have struggled in the Premier League this season and their defence has been a particular cause for concern.

The Magpies kept their first clean sheet at the weekend, ironically against Burnley, as they also picked up three points for the first time - highlighting their defensive issues up until the weekend. Mee missed out on the game due to a shoulder injury, which meant that Howe was unable to see him up close ahead of January.

However, his performances in the Premier League over the years for the Clarets should be enough to convince the 43-year-old. The defender has been a reliable top-flight performer for a number of years and could come in and provide a lift to the defence.

Dyche previously lauded him as a player who always delivers on the pitch, whilst labelling him as an important member of the squad. The 50-year-old once said:

"He is a very solid campaigner, week in, week out. He is always there for you and delivers and that is a big compliment.

“He is consistent, his values are consistent, a tough-minded fella and a very fair-minded fella and a lot of those qualities don’t just happen off the pitch, they go on the pitch with him.

“He is a player who has been an important part for us and I am sure he will be again.”

In seven full Premier League seasons for Burnley, Mee has averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.86 or higher and a score higher than 7.00 in three of those campaigns. This shows that he has consistently performed to an impressive standard in the top-flight over a number of years - indicating that he is an established and proven player at this level.

Therefore, he could come in and improve the United defence with his consistent, solid, displays at centre-back by helping to keep the ball out of Martin Dubravka's net, having played a part in Burnley keeping 22 clean sheets across the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns. This is why Howe must get a deal over the line for the beast.

AND in other news, NUFC could finally replace Ryan Taylor with swoop for “outstanding” £19.8m-rated beast...