Newcastle United have not, as of yet, submitted a bid for the Boca Juniors midfielder Alan Varela despite some reports which have begun to circulate.

What's the latest?

Eddie Howe's Magpies made another step closer in their bid for Champions League football on Tuesday night after securing a valuable point away to the Premier League leaders, Arsenal.

And the reliable journalist, Craig Hope, took to his YouTube channel after the game at the Emirates Stadium to provide a quick round-up of the latest news coming from Tyneside. Reports from Argentina suggest the Toon have already submitted a bid in the region of €18m (£16m).

However, having heard the reports coming out of Argentina, Hope has done some digging into the claims and has now suggested what is being said in South America is not actually true:

"What I have been told is that a bid as of then hadn't gone in. I was told that that wasn't true - the reports from Argentina.

"Now whether one is subsequently gone in and whether one is going in tonight [Tuesday] or there's even interest. I don't know. I was just told that those reports that a bid had gone in weren't true."

Options for Howe

Although Hope has claimed Newcastle have not yet submitted a bid for the 21-year-old just yet, their display on Tuesday night may suggest another midfielder is something which they desperately need.

An injury to Jonjo Shelvey has seen Howe's options in midfield severely restricted with Joe Willock, Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff making up the three in the middle of the park.

Brazilian midfielder Joelinton was forced to play further up the pitch but their lack of options was telling from the bench with no central midfielder to come on for Howe.

It does feel as if their options are just one further injury away from really testing Howe's man management which could make a new central midfielder a priority in this month's window.

The Argentine midfielder, Varela, played a huge role for Boca Juniors in their recent campaign which saw him feature 42 times - predominantly from the defensive midfield position (via Transfermarkt).

What is potentially a big draw for Howe and the scouting team at Newcastle is the 21-year-old injury record which has not actually seen him missing through any footballing issues.

And for a club like Newcastle who have been hit hard by injuries in recent times, having a dependable midfielder at the heart of the three would be a huge boost for Howe as they look to claim a spot in the top four.

However, it seems as if they may face some competition for Varela with some reports in Spain suggesting Barcelona are also interested in the Argentine who has been likened to Sergio Busquets.