Newcastle United have now been backed by Noel Whelan in their pursuit of Conor Coady in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Coady on shortlist

A source from the St. James' Park faithful has claimed to Football Insider that Coady is on their shortlist ahead of January.

It will reportedly take a bid of around £30m to sign the central defender from Wolves, who is under contract at the Molineux until 2025.

The Latest: Whelan backs Coady move

Speaking to Football Insider about those claims, former Leeds United and Coventry City striker Whelan has backed the North East club in their pursuit of Coady:

“He’s a brilliant defender and consistency is what you will get from him.

“Newcastle have struggled defensively for a number of years now, so getting a defender like him into the spine of that side will be massive.

“That’s the first place I’d be looking.

“You have Wilson, Saint-Maximin and Almiron in the attack, so you have enough there but the frailties are at the back and at centre-half, for me.

“Connor Coady is a player you would be more than happy with at your football club.

“He’s got the leadership qualities, he’s an England international now and he is a very consistent performer for Wolves.”

The Verdict: Too much money

There is always going to be a premium price to pay for English players in the market, but £30m is simply too much for Coady, considering that his market value is currently rated at £22.5m by Transfermarkt.

Being the captain at Molineux, he would certainly offer leadership to the team, and at 28 years of age, is in his prime.

However, he has been no better than Ciaran Clark and Jamaal Lascelles in terms of average interceptions (one), clearances (2.7) and blocks (0.6) per game in the Premier League so far this season (Whoscored), and even though money is not an object to the new owners, they should either be looking to get him for cheaper or look elsewhere.

In other news, find out which striker who has 'a bit of everything' would be a 'great signing' for NUFC here!