Eddie Howe is reportedly now targeting three of his former players to sign for Newcastle United in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Busy January

That promises to be a busy month for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium as they look to bring in some new faces to help them fight off relegation from the Premier League.

They have been linked with January moves for the likes of Ross Barkley, Dean Henderson and Lorenzo Insigne in recent days, suggesting that Howe could have a major squad overhaul on his hands.

The Latest: Familiar faces

As per 90min, Howe is now 'considering' making some of his former players at Bournemouth his 'top transfer targets' in the winter window.

The newly-appointed Newcastle manager has been 'promised funds' by the new owners, and Nathan Ake, Jefferson Lerma and Lloyd Kelly are three names among his 'main targets'.

Howe spent a combined total of £63m on the trio when he was at the Vitality Stadium, and Lerma remains his record signing at £25m.

The Verdict: All in!

Newcastle need all of the help that they can get in order to avoid the drop, and bringing in Ake, Lerma and Kelly would certainly strengthen a number of different areas on the pitch.

Howe will know how to get the best out of them, and given that they have played under him in the Premier League before, they all know what it takes to survive in the top flight.

Lerma and Kelly, who are both still at Bournemouth, should be hungry enough to step up a division and give it another go, while Ake is now playing at the highest level with reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, so all three seem well capable of contributing to a run which could see the Magpies escape the relegation zone.

In other news, find out whose agent 'continues to have contacts' with NUFC over a potential transfer