An update has emerged on Lyon attacker Moussa Dembele, regarding interest from Newcastle United...

What's the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies are 'weighing' up a swoop for the centre-forward as they plot their targets for the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Ligue 1 side are open to cashing in on the beast next month, although it remains unclear how much they want in return for him.

Get it done

Nick Hammond must ensure that he is able to work with Eddie Howe to secure a deal for the ex-Celtic hitman as he could be an excellent addition to the squad heading into the second half of the campaign.

Howe's favoured 4-4-2 formation could be more effective with two out-and-out strikers at the top end of the pitch, with Callum Wilson currently the only recognised striker in the rotation as it stands. He is the only player in the squad with more than three Premier League goals and the signing of Dembele could hand him a capable partner to share the load with.

The beast, who was once dubbed "powerful" by Brendan Rodgers, has scored 49 goals in 120 matches for Lyon, having scored 51 times in 94 games for the Hoops in Scotland. He also has experience in England, scoring 15 Championship goals in his final season at Fulham.

His former Celtic teammate Leigh Griffiths previously hailed the £15.3m-rated beast as "unplayable" and also said:

"With that display, Moussa showed he is one of the top young talents in Europe.

"It doesn't matter how big the occasion is, he is always calm. I thought he was exceptional. He never gave the Rangers defence a minute's peace. He has that in the locker and when he is in the mood like that he is a joy to watch."

His goalscoring statistics throughout his career and Griffiths' quotes on him suggest that he could be, as the Scot put it himself, unplayable for the Magpies. He has shown that he can score goals in a variety of leagues, scoring in the top division of Scottish and French football, whilst also finding the back of the net in the second division of English football.

Therefore, Hammond must complete a swoop for the Frenchman in January to bolster Howe's squad and give him the best possible chance of avoiding relegation.

AND in other news, Hammond could seal instant NUFC masterclass by signing "outstanding" £15m "animal"...