According to reports in the Liverpool Echo on December 15, Brighton and Hove Albion are one of the clubs interested in signing Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic on loan during the January transfer window.
The Liverpool Echo says that the Seagulls, along with Championship high-flyers Aston Villa, are keen to bring the 21-year-old in until the end of the season with the Serbian struggling for game time so far this term.
The report adds that Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is considering sending the midfielder out on loan in the New Year, but the German wants him to continue his development in the English game and is unwilling to let him join a club from abroad after Galatasaray registered their interest in the former Red Star Belgrade man.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United's freefall down the Premier League table continued as their 1-0 defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday saw them drop into the relegation zone, and they have now taken just one point from the last 27 available in the top flight.
Magpies manager Rafa Benitez will already be looking at transfer targets he could add to his struggling squad next month, and bringing Grujic to St James' Park could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons Newcastle should hijack Brighton's bid to sign the 21-year-old…
The Shelvey issue
With Shelvey, Mikel Merino and Isaac Hayden in the middle of the park Newcastle look to be well stocked in central midfield, however the actions of the former may see Benitez look to bring in someone else in January.
The 25-year-old picked up a red card on the opening day 2-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur, and he then picked up a second yellow in the last minute of the 1-0 defeat against Everton last week.
That was Shelvey's first start in three matches after he had been relegated to the substitutes' bench, and Rafa Benitez may not feel he can trust the midfielder in the second-half of the campaign.
Bringing in someone like Grujic on loan in the New Year could help to solve that issue.
His ability
While he has struggled to break into the Liverpool first team this season, the 21-year-old has still made three Premier League substitute appearances, as well as coming on once in the Champions League group stages.
He also played 90 minutes in the 2-0 EFL Cup defeat to Leicester City in September, and Serbian football journalist Vlastimir Stefanovic certainly had some big praise for the midfielder when he arrived in England.
According to Sky Sports, the 21-year-old has been described as tall, rangy and comfortable on the ball, and he has been dubbed the new Nemanja Matic.
Stefanovic disagrees with that comparison though, and he told Sky Sports: "If I had to compare Marko Grujic to anyone in terms of style of playing, I'd compare him to Steven Gerrard."
While he often plays as a central or defensive midfielder, he has shown during his time with Liverpool that he can also play further forward if required, and that versatility could be useful for Newcastle.
Loan deal
Even if the proposed Newcastle takeover goes through in the next couple of weeks, Rafa Benitez may not get the January transfer boost he would have been hoping for when talks between Mike Ashley and Amanda Staveley began a few weeks ago.
It could mean that the Spaniard is working with a tight budget next month, and using his good relationship with Liverpool and being able to sign Grujic on loan may prove to be an attractive option, allowing him to invest the money he does have into other key areas on the pitch.
Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.