According to reports in The Sun, Southampton have launched a £17.5m bid to sign Monaco striker Guido Carrillo during the January transfer window.

Saints are only lying outside of the Premier League relegation zone on goal difference following a disastrous campaign in which they have only scored 21 goals in their 22 top flight matches, and manager Mauricio Pellegrino is keen to boost his side's frontline this month.

With Charlie Austin set to be out for around two months with a hamstring injury, the Argentine boss is looking for a target man and the 26-year-old Monaco man fits the bill.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United are just four places and two points above the south coast outfit in the standings, and while they picked up a vital 3-2 win against West Ham United at the London Stadium last weekend, they have netted one less goal than Saints this term.

Even though there is yet to be any progress with regards to a takeover, Rafa Benitez will be keen to add new players to his squad before the window slams shut on January 31 in order to boost his side's chances of surviving, and bringing Carrillo to St James' Park could prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons Newcastle must hijack Southampton's bid to sign the Argentine attacker…

They need a striker

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In 22 Premier League matches this season, Dwight Gayle and Joselu have scored six goals between them while Aleksandar Mitrovic, who is looking certain to leave the club this month, has netted just the one.

If the Serbia international does leave before the window slams shut then it is clear that Benitez will want to bring a new striker to the club in order to have a different option to use, and Carrillo could prove to be the answer having largely played second fiddle to Radamel Falcao with Monaco this season.

Standing at 6ft 2in tall he would certainly provide some much-needed competition for Joselu, to allow Newcastle to play the same way whoever is on the pitch.

His ability

Even though Carrillo has rarely been a starter for Monaco this season, he has still scored five goals and provided one assist in 22 appearances in all competitions.

His standout moment in the campaign came last month in the 3-2 win against Troyes when he came on at half-time with the Ligue 1 leaders 2-0 down, before he followed up an own goal with a brace in the last five minutes to complete a remarkable turnaround and give his team all three points.

The 26-year-old is decent in the air – he has won 28 of the 51 aerial duels he has faced in 15 French top flight matches this season according to Squawka – while he has also shown how useful he can be when defending too having made eight clearances.

Price tag

While Rafa Benitez is unsure of the budget he will be handed this month, he will certainly be hopeful that he could afford to match the £17.5m fee that Southampton are reportedly ready to pay for Carrillo.

If they fail to invest in key areas in the team this month they risk going down, and that is probably something that Mike Ashley can't really afford to do if a takeover deal falls through.

Newcastle have already been linked with a move for £17.8m-rated Las Palmas attacker Jonathan Viera by The Telegraph, but they might be better off targeting Carrillo instead considering they need goals and a another focal point up top.

Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.