Newcastle United's meteoric rise has continued into this campaign and Eddie Howe's side look well-equipped to throw down the gauntlet on the Champions League spots once more, having qualified for Europe's elite competition last term.
The Magpies are currently six points off fourth-place Liverpool and have given a solid account of themselves in the Champions League, with the highlight so far being their 4-1 demolition of Paris Saint-Germain.
While their prospects domestically and in Europe are looking prosperous, the Toon have been hit with some bad luck off the field and their £55m summer signing, Sandro Tonali, is currently awaiting a ten-month suspension after breaching betting rules in Italy.
Following this devastating news for the club, Newcastle need to use the January transfer window to bolster their midfield options and fill the void that he'll leave behind in the middle of the park.
Several names have been touted, including Scott McTominay, Kalvin Phillips and Conor Gallagher, while Ruben Neves has also been linked with a move back to England after joining Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal for £47m in the summer.
Newcastle transfer news – Ruben Neves interest
According to talkSPORT, Newcastle are considering a loan move for Ruben Neves to replace Tonali in January.
The Portuguese maestro is currently plying his trade for Al Hilal, the club owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), who of course, also own a controlling stake in the Magpies.
The Premier League giants could use this situation to their advantage by luring the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man back to England, both fixing their need for a world-class operator and doing it in a cost-efficient way.
In many ways, targeting the 44-cap international makes sense as it plugs a temporary void in central midfield and saves them from splashing the cash on someone else.
The loan market could also be a favourable avenue for the club as the reported financial fair play (FFP) restrictions could prevent Newcastle from signing a permanent replacement for the 23-year-old in the winter window.
Indeed, it could be a wise decision from Howe to loan Neves, who displays similar attributes to the former, and then return him once Tonali's ban is up at the end of next season.
How Sandro Tonali compares to Ruben Neves
Lauded as "incredible" by former Wolves teammate Hugo Bueno, Neves would supply Newcastle with the requisite Premier League pedigree and exceptional technical attributes that could see him become a revelation at St James' Park.
For six successful years and 253 appearances at Molineux, he was the conductor in their midfield, dictating possession with his phenomenal passing range while displaying his ability to serve up the spectacular, becoming widely recognised for his outrageous technique and superb ball-striking abilities.
In the Premier League last term, the 26-year-old's performances were similar in profile to the likes of Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo, according to FBref, having also showcased his defensive nous by placing in the top 19% against his positional peers for tackles in the attacking third, top 14% for interceptions, top 4% for shots blocked and top 3% for clearances.
Tonali was signed to have an impact at the other end of the field which means his defensive attributes fall short, ranking within the bottom 16% across Europe's top five leagues in the past year for interceptions, bottom 18% for aerials won and bottom 29% for blocks.
By contrast, the Italian's attacking attributes, including his exceptional vision, ability to drive forward and provide telling quality, have all seen Tonali rank high, placing in the top 21% for progressive passes, top 13% for assists and top 9% for key passes.
Although Neves, who is valued at £26.2m (€30m) as per Football Observatory, can't eclipse the former AC Milan midfielder for the aforementioned statistics, his quality defensive attributes paint a picture of an individual who could further solidify a Newcastle defence that ranks third for expected goals against (9.79) and fifth for goals conceded (11).
