According to reports, Newcastle United are interested in signing three Serie A stars as they look to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
The Magpies are currently 19th in the English top flight with no wins from their opening 11 league encounters.
This could prompt the club’s new owners to invest heavily in the winter transfer window in order to avoid the dreaded drop down to the Sky Bet Championship.
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Newcastle have been linked with numerous players since Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) bought the club from Mike Ashley.
And now The Times claim that Inter Milan duo Stefan de Vrij and Marcelo Brozovic as well as Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha are winter targets for the Geordies.
De Vrij has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur as well and has worked with their new head coach Antonio Conte at Inter.
The former Feyenoord centre-back made the move to the Serie A giants in 2018 and has featured just short of 150 times for Milan across all competitions.
Furthermore, former Spurs defender Alan Hutton has urged Conte to make de Vrij his first signing in January.
“He is what they need. Conte, a back-three is his style,” he told Football Insider.
“He knows how to get the best out of these players and what formation to play. A back-three, you have to be strong.
“I think he’d be a good addition. Decent age, good experience, it’s within the value I think is fair. I mean, some people may say it’s a little bit high for a 29-year-old but you’re getting a wealth of experience and a strong defender.
“You need that foundation to build on moving forward and Conte knows what he’s doing. I would imagine he’s been told he can get X amount in the transfer window and this is how he’s starting to use it, by looking to make De Vrij his first deal.
“Hopefully he spends wisely because the back three, I think, is where they need to strengthen.”