Newcastle United could be set to strengthen their squad even further when the January transfer window opens tomorrow, and now a new update has emerged on a potential new transfer target.
What's the latest?
According to journalist Hrach Khachatryan, Newcastle are one of three Premier League clubs interested in signing OGC Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram.
Khachatryan tweeted:
"Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram is linked with Premier League move. Chelsea, Newcastle, and Liverpool are interested."
Howe could land his own Valverde
There is no doubt that Eddie Howe will be thrilled with his Tyneside squad after a phenomenal start to their Premier League season, however, the opportunity to continue to strengthen the squad will be a chance surely not missed by the club.
The Magpies are currently third in the top flight after drawing with Leeds United this afternoon - having only suffered one defeat over their first 17 outings so far, which is an extremely impressive feat considering 12 months ago they were battling relegation at the bottom of the table.
Not only that, Newcastle remain in contention to compete for both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, so adding some depth in key positions on the pitch would be advantageous and Thuram - the brother of World Cup finalist Marcus Thuram and son of World Cup winner Lillian Thuram - could be the perfect signing to bolster Howe's options in the centre of the pitch.
Over 16 Ligue One appearances, the 21-year-old Frenchman - who was dubbed "perfect" by journalist Alex Jaquin - has delivered two assists, created three big chances and completed 68% successful dribbles so far, as well as averaging 1.4 tackles, 34 accurate passes and 2.9 duels won per game.
Howe could even land his very own Federico Valverde as the Real Madrid talent has been named as one of the most comparable players to Thuram over the last 12 months, according to FBref.
The midfield positional peers share many similarities in their output this season so far including assists (two v two), pass completion rate (87.4% v 88%), dribblers tackled percentage (47.4% v 38.5%), blocks (10 v 11) and dribbles completed (65% v 63.2%).
With that being said, the signing of Thuram - who is expected to cost €20m (£17m) - could be a great piece of business for Howe as he attempts to retain Newcastle's dominance inside the top four and secure Champions League qualification over the second half of the season.