Newcastle United have reportedly 'shown their interest' in signing Everton central midfielder Amadou Onana.

The Lowdown: Shelvey out of contract

Jonjo Shelvey is one of three midfielders out of contract at St. James' Park in the summer, alongside Matt Ritchie and Matty Longstaff.

Thus, they may look to bolster the midfield area in this window, in preparation for when them players leave at the end of the season.

The Latest: Onana interest

Taking to Twitter, Belgian football journalist Sacha Tavolieri says that the North East club have 'shown their interest' in signing Onana, as Everton have found themselves needing cash after the departure of Frank Lampard:

"Initially unthinkable, the departure of Frank #Lampard coupled with the urgent cash needs at #EvertonFC opens the door to a departure from Amadou #Onana this winter. #ChelseaFC & #ArsenalFC who are looking for a similar profile + #NUFC shown their interest. To be continued."

The Verdict: Get it done?

Despite Everton's struggles in the Premier League this season, which has seen Lampard lose his job, Onana has been one of their standouts performers.

The six-foot-five colossus ranks highly among his team-mates for average aerial duels won, as well as average tackles, interceptions, shots, dribbles and pass success per game (WhoScored).

Sharing a similar playing style to Newcastle's own Joelinton, Onana ranks in the 92nd percentile for tackles, 89th for non penalty xG and 88th for aerials won per game of all midfielders in Europe's top leagues over the past year (FBRef), and at just 21 years of age, still has a lot of potential.

Nonetheless, this would be a smart deal for the Magpies not just for this season, but for the future as well, if they can pull it off.