Newcastle United are in the market to add depth to their impressive squad this month and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on a potential transfer target.

What's the latest?

According to talkSPORT transfer insider Alex Crook, Newcastle have had an approach rejected for Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay.

As per the report, the Red Devils are not interested in parting ways with their player in the January transfer window with advances rebuffed by not only Newcastle but fellow Premier League club Southampton too.

Obertan repeat

There is no doubt that Eddie Howe will be thrilled with the position his squad have got themselves in over the campaign so far and it will be hard for new additions to compete for a spot in the first team due to the phenomenal form.

The Magpies are currently third in the Premier League table after going unbeaten in all bar one of their 20 outings, whilst last night they edged closer to their first domestic cup final at Wembley Stadium since their clash with Manchester United in the FA Cup back in 1999 - beating Southampton 1-0 at St Mary's.

Indeed, Howe will want to continue to strengthen and add depth to his talented squad at St James' Park to ensure Newcastle can retain their dominance at the top of the table and ultimately compete healthily in Europe should they earn a spot in either the Champions League or Europa League at the end of the season.

The North East club have already made hugely impactful signings with Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn, Alexander Isak and Sven Botman quickly becoming key players in the rapid success of the team since Howe took over in November 2021, however, the approach for McTominay could be Dan Ashworth's first mistake.

Whilst adding depth to the centre of the pitch will be a huge priority for Newcastle due to a general lack of personnel in the positions, it will be important to not drop off in quality when rotating the midfield.

Sean Longstaff has recently become a really important player for the Magpies since returning to the team following Shelvey's injury issues this season and has outperformed McTominay with ease over his performances so far.

Indeed, Longstaff betters the 26-year-old Man United ace in many attributes including goal contributions (3 v 0), progressive passes (51 v 12), ball recoveries (88 v 50), shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (2.45 v 1.43), tackles and interceptions (36 v 28) and blocks (27 v 7).

As such, Ashworth could well be heading for a repeat of the disastrous Gabriel Obertan signing with a move for McTominay - who was dubbed "clumsy" by Gary Neville - as his inconsistencies could see him quickly become an outcast at the club.

Just like Obertan, he'd be arriving from Man United and it feels unlikely that he'd hit the high level of performance that Howe expects from his side.

The former Magpies winger failed to make a positive impact during his time at St James' Park which ultimately led to the player only making 77 appearances over his four-and-a-half-year stint, in which he scored just three times; a goal every 1,444 minutes.

With that being said, Ashworth should be focusing on identifying players who can now take the squad to the next level in their pursuit to compete in European football next season and McTominay is not a player who will add the high quality needed compared to what they already have in their midfield.