Despite a plethora of injuries at the club, Newcastle have no intention it would seem of extending any deal for one of their out of favour players.
Premier Injuries show that the Magpies currently have 14 players out of action, which is the worst in the English top-flight at present.
Many of those injuries will see players out until the new year at the earliest and that’s likely to mean Eddie Howe will need to scour the market for suitable, and perhaps short term, replacements.
One player he won’t be counting on is Ryan Fraser, who was sent out on loan after it was believed that he had fallen out with his manager.
Currently at Southampton, the 29-year-old has been ripping it up in the Championship and has been a major factor in why the Saints find themselves in fourth position at present.
Transfer expert, Dean Jones, doesn’t see a way back for him at St. James’ Park, telling Give Me Sport:
“I think if Southampton get the chance to sign Ryan Fraser then it’s something that they will be jumping at if he continues to be like this.
“Not just a player, but the character that he’s shown and the personality. Southampton were crying out for identity this season and they want to see a team that is playing a certain way but also has characters within it that match who they are and what they’ve been in the past.
“Ryan Fraser obviously had to make a big decision in terms of moving down to the Championship and he didn’t want to commit himself to being at that level, but I think he’s seeing signs that Southampton won’t be at that level very long and that they can get out of it.
“And I think, yeah, Southampton will definitely want to sign Ryan Fraser permanently. It’s just a case of proving to him that this is the place for him to be.”
Given how well Fraser has been playing down at St. Mary’s, it’s difficult to imagine that he would want to return to a place where he’s clearly not welcome in any event.
It’s not clear what any fee would look like should the two clubs wish to try and strike an agreement, but it certainly appears to be in everyone’s best interests to get a deal over the line.