Newcastle United have made initial enquiries regarding the availability of Everton midfielder Tom Cleverley, Lee Ryder of The Chronicle has revealed.
Cleverley arrived at Goodison Park on a free transfer from Manchester United in 2015 and made thirty appearances in his debut season. While central midfield would be considered his strongest position, over half of the 27-year-old’s appearances for the Toffees have come from out wide.
The arrivals of Idrissa Gueye and Yannick Bolasie from Aston Villa and Crystal Palace respectively have seen Cleverley become a fringe player in his second season – making just four starts this campaign.
Should the former England international decide to call time on his Everton stay in search of first-team football, Toffees boss Ronald Koeman is ‘unlikely to stand in his way’ Lee Ryder states.
Newcastle are interested on signing Cleverley on loan for the remainder of the season, but there is no mention as to whether this deal would include a view to permanent.
With Jonjo Shelvey banned; Mo Diame and Christian Atsu set for international duty at the African Cup of Nations; and Cheick Tiote likely to depart for China, Rafa has made bolstering his midfield options a priority during the early stages of the transfer window.
Benitez is not short of alternative targets should Cleverley’s response come back negative. Manchester City wantaway midfielder Fabian Delph and Ruben Loftus-Cheek also remain on Newcastle’s radar – with a loan bid still pending for the latter.
