Journalist Ben Jacobs has confirmed that Newcastle United are interested in signing Youri Tielemans this month.

The Lowdown: Interest in Tielemans

Due to the injury sustained by Jonjo Shelvey, it has been reported that Newcastle are going to be active in the market as they go in search of a new central midfielder to fill the void.

Reports have suggested that Tielemans is on the shortlist and Craig Hope has admitted on the True Faith podcast that Howe is indeed a fan of the midfielder, having been linked with him in 2022.

Tielemans arriving at Newcastle would potentially unleash Bruno Guimaraes to play further forward and try to rediscover his goalscoring form from last season.

The Latest: Howe keen on signing Belgium star

Jacobs spoke on The Done Deal Show about the genuine interest Newcastle hold in Tielemans as they look to push for the top four during the second half of this season.

He said: "Now we're hearing Newcastle United again - and there's no smoke without fire, here. Newcastle are looking at Youri Tielemans as an option, and they have other options as well, but they want somebody that is [good] value - and Tielemans is because his contract is ticking down.

"And their January strategy has changed, really, because of how good they've been, and they need that depth and quality to try and solidify their place in a Champions League football spot."

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The Verdict: Newcastle should go for Tielemans

It's no surprise that Newcastle are keen on landing Tielemans given he's been called 'top class' by his current manager Brendan Rodgers, although he was benched for their last game against Liverpool.

Given that Newcastle reportedly don't want to spend heavily during the transfer window, going for someone like Tielemans who will soon become a free agent would surely be a smart way to recruit.

It would be a statement of intent if Newcastle could land Tielemans to help beef up their midfield department as he's also been linked with a move to league leaders Arsenal over the previous months, so to beat them to his signature could be huge.