Report: Newcastle United want to bolster midfield ranks with Everton man

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Newcastle United are keen to add James McCarthy to their ranks ahead of next season, according to a report from Team Talk.

The future of Rafa Benitez is yet to be decided just yet but the Spaniard is keen to land the midfielder if he does remain at St James’ Park next season.

Jonjo Shelvey and Issac Hayden could both depart the Magpies during the summer and those departures would leave voids to try and fill.

The 28-year-old will bid to revive his career during 2019/20 after playing just 14 minutes of Everton’s league campaign last season. The Republic of Ireland international broke his leg and the recovery has been a long process.

McCarthy is on £50k-a-week at Goodison Park, according to Spotrac and that looks likely to fit within Newcastle’s pay structure.

Given his injury problems and the fact that Everton sees him as potentially surplus, Newcastle could get their man for a decent price.

TBR Verdict

The signing of McCarthy is certainly a risky one for Newcastle to even be considering.

Recent injury struggles have limited his amount of game time and that might not bode well for the Magpies.

The Ireland midfielder will be desperate to revive his career, however, and having a point to prove could make him a decent squad player for Newcastle.

If Shelvey and Hayden do depart, Benitez will probably look for a couple of midfielders and the other must be a more reliable option on the injury front.