Newcastle United are reportedly now 'very interested' in signing Matteo Guendouzi for Eddie Howe.

The Lowdown: Howe 'close'

It has been reported that Howe is now 'close' to becoming the next manager at St. James' Park, although it is expected that Graeme Jones will take charge of their game away at Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

It means that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium can now get on with their plans for the January transfer window, in which they will surely be looking to do a few deals in order to try and help them avoid relegation down to the Championship.

The Tyneside club have just four points and no wins from their first 10 matches in the top flight so far this term, sitting in 19th place, just above Norwich City (Premier League).

The Latest: Guendouzi interest

As per Foot Mercato, the North East club are now 'very interested' in signing Guendouzi for Howe.

However, it may not be easy to lure him away from Marseille, where he is currently on loan at from Arsenal, as he has instantly become a fan favourite because of his 'fiery character' and 'overflowing activity on the pitch'.

Thus, the €11m (£9.4m) option to sign him on a permanent deal looks to have a 'good chance' of being activated by the Ligue 1 team.

However, Guendouzi is 'popular' amongst the Magpies new KSA owners, and they could still look to sign him from the Gunners next summer, should he not move to Marseille permanently.

The Verdict: Get it done

Guendouzi has been a bit of a revelation since signing for Marseille, coming up with three goals and three assists in the league from midfield (called up to the France national squad for their upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifying games.

Offensively, he is better than what the Toon currently have at their disposal in the middle of the park, averaging more shots (1.3), key passes (1.1) and long balls (2.8) per match than Isaac Hayden, Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff in their respective domestic leagues so far this season, while also recording the highest pass success rate (90.2%) (WhoScored).

What makes Guendouzi stand out from the crowd though is his character, as Alan Shearer once dubbed him a 'warrior' while he was playing for Arsenal back in 2019, and this was emphasised in a game away at Brighton and Hove Albion, when his passion and the fire in his belly made him take things a little too far (talkSPORT).

In any side, you need players who will fight for the badge, and there is no doubt that Guendouzi would do that if he moved to NUFC with the crowd behind him.

In other news, find out which 'amazing' manager was still in the running before Howe here!