'He is' - Alan Shearer names the £83m player Newcastle United should swoop for in January

There is hope among supporters that the Magpies can secure a major signing having failed to do so in the summer when they refused to meet Crystal Palace’s £70million asking price to Marc Guehi.

But United boss Eddie Howe has warned it could be a quiet month.

"It's unpredictable at the moment,” said Howe. “It's very difficult to see what is going to happen. I know no one wants to hear it, but January is always a difficult window in every window so I don't think we should necessarily go into it expecting any different to any other previous January.

“Transfer trading, generally, was down last summer compared to the previous summer so will this January follow suit and it's quieter across the board? Possibly, yes. These are things that don't go in favour of a busy window so without wanting to make predictions, I'd be surprised if it deviated from that."

While Newcastle chiefs plan how to attack January, club legend Shearer has weighed with his thoughts.

In a Q&A with The Athletic, Shearer was asked “If you were Newcastle manager, who would you realistically be targeting in January to improve the first XI and why?”

And he replied: “I would definitely be targeting a centre-forward, a right-sided forward and probably a centre-half. Those are the three priority positions.

“I’m biased, but those forward roles feel like the most important where there is little cover for Alexander Isak. Who exactly? It depends on how much Newcastle can spend.

“There’s Viktor Gyokeres smashing goals in left, right and centre at Sporting Lisbon. Manchester United have appointed Ruben Amorim, but he says he won’t be signing players from his former club in January. You have to target the best and he is the best option at the moment.”

Gyokeres, an international teammate of Alexander Isak, scored a hat-trick in Sporting’s 4-1 win against Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The former Coventry City man boasts an incredible record of 66 goals in 67 games for the Portuguese giants, now making him one of the most highly-sought strikers in world football. It’s reported that Gyokeres has an £83m release clause but could be allowed to leave for £63m in the summer.