Newcastle United could look to strengthen their already phenomenal squad at St James' Park this month, with a new update emerging from a reliable source on a potential option for the club to explore.

What's the latest?

According to CBS reporter Ben Jacobs, the Magpies have been "offered" the chance to sign Brighton and Hove Albion winger Leandro Trossard.

Jacobs tweeted: "Trossard has been offered to Spurs, Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester United over the past two months. #LFC and #MUFC made it clear very quickly they had no interest. #NUFC also prefer a younger option."

Huge Allan Saint-Maximin upgrade

Eddie Howe will be thrilled with the rapid progress that the club has made since he arrived as manager 14 months ago, and he hit another milestone last night when his side progressed to the Carabao Cup semi-finals, the first time in 47 years that they have made it to that stage of the competition.

Furthermore, the Magpies are currently third in the Premier League after suffering only one defeat in the top flight over the first half of the season, which is an incredibly impressive achievement considering that they were relegation contenders when Howe arrived little more than a year ago.

Newcastle's phenomenal form would suggest that they are not in desperate need to add any new players this month. However, with a major trophy in sight and the opportunity to qualify for Champions League this season becoming more of a reality than a dream, it would certainly not hurt to add depth to the squad to ensure that they are fully covered in the final push to tangible achievement.

Signing Trossard may not seem like a necessity for the Tyneside club, but since the opportunity has presented itself, it could be a major coup for Howe to bolster the quality in his forward line.

Across 16 Premier League appearances this term, the Belgium international - who was dubbed "unreal" by Rio Ferdinand - has scored seven goals, registered two assists and created one big chance, along with averaging 2.4 shots on goal, 1.5 key passes and 2.6 duels won per game.

Indeed, Trossard - who has a reported £30m price tag - could be a huge upgrade on Allan Saint-Maximin. The Brighton forward has outperformed the Frenchman in many attributes this season so far, including shots on target percentage (44.7% v 41.7%), pass completion rate (71.6% v 69.1%), progressive passes (50 v 23), crosses (35 v 11), shot-creating actions (50 v 26) and ball recoveries (65 v 28).

It is clear that the Seagulls sensation could provide the Magpies with more goal contributions from wing play and is much more clinical than Saint-Maximin, so the 28-year-old could be a great asset to Newcastle in their efforts to continue their winning ways this season.

If Dan Ashworth can scoop a good deal from his former club, having signed Trossard for Brighton in 2019, it could be a great piece of business for the Magpies not only for the remainder of the season but the longer-term future of their forward line.