The January transfer window is almost halfway to completion and Newcastle United are yet to make their first senior addition of the month.

Eddie Howe is no stranger to doing business at this time of the year as he proved, with success, last season.

The former AFC Bournemouth boss brought in Dan Burn, Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, and Matt Targett to improve the team in 2022.

Guimaraes, in particular, was a roaring success as he hit the ground running and played a crucial role in the club's form during the second half of the season.

He arrived from Lyon on a permanent basis and averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.25 across 17 appearances in the Premier League - scoring five goals and providing one assist from central midfield.

The Magpies could now repeat their Bruno masterclass by snapping up Lazio machine Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who the club are reportedly preparing an offer for.

It has been reported in the printed edition of Il Messaggero (via Lazio Story), that Napoli owner and president Lotito would give serious thought to a transfer if Newcastle, or Arsenal, came in with an offer of €60m (£53m) this month.

The report claims that the chief's public stance is that the midfielder is not for sale but there is not the same certainty in his internal thoughts, whilst manager Maurizio Sarri would also not oppose a move.

Milinkovic-Savic, who was praised as having "extraordinary elegance" by Parma's sporting director Demetrio Albertini, could now come in and be Bruno 2.0 if the Magpies are able to convince Napoli to part ways with him.

In the Serie A this season, the Serbian international has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.28 across 16 appearances as he has plundered three goals and six assists from midfield, whilst also making 2.6 tackles and interceptions per match.

This comes after he averaged a score of 7.28 and chipped in with 11 goals and 11 assists in 37 Italian top-flight matches last term.

The 27-year-old animal, who has created 0.22 xG per 90 on average over the last 365 days, has proven himself to be a terrific attacking midfield player in a major European league.

Milinkovic-Savic has shown that he can offer a huge threat in terms of both scoring and creating goals, whilst consistently averaging a high standard in his performance levels, and this indicates that he could have a big impact at St. James' Park.

The Lazio maestro could be a match-winner for Newcastle with his quality in the middle of the park and follow in Bruno's footsteps as arriving as a midfielder from Europe in January to make an instant impression in the Premier League.