New twist in Newcastle United manager situation with ex-Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe new favourite

Leeds United's Raphina has been linked with a move to Newcastle United (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)

Transfer rumours and speculation surrounding Steve Bruce’s future as Newcastle United manager continues to dominate the headlines on Tyneside.

Here is all the latest gossip surrounding Newcastle United:

Newcastle linked with Chelsea duo

Newcastle are planning a ‘double raid’ on Stamford Bridge in January with midfielders Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek on their radar.

Barkley has been out of favour this season, playing just 36 minutes in three appearances for Thomas Tuchel’s side.

Loftus-Cheek, on the other hand, has slowly grown into the campaign and played a key role during Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Brentford at the weekend.

According to 90min.com, Barkley has been offered to Newcastle by ‘intermediaries’ and is free to leave Stamford Bridge in January.

Loftus-Cheek will likely prove harder to prise from Chelsea, however, the new Newcastle United owners are keen to bring in Premier League proven talent in January to help keep Newcastle afloat in the top-flight this season.

Pundit backs Newcastle for Leeds United raid

Former Leeds United player David Norris believes that Newcastle could be interested in Leeds star Raphina.

When asked about whether Newcastle would be interested in the Brazilian, Norris told This is Futbol:

“Yeah, possibly. The best players in that next group who look like they could play for the top teams, that could definitely work for them.”

Raphina has been in sensational form for both club and country this season and scored a wonderful goal at St James’s Park during the 1-1 draw in September.

New favourite to replace Steve Bruce emerges

As pressure builds on Steve Bruce, a new name has been made bookies favourite to take the reins at St James’s Park.

Previously, people like Antonio Conte, Brendan Rodgers and Frank Lampard had all been named as favourite by bookmakers.

It now appears that the current front-runner is former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe.

Howe has previously worked with Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and Matt Ritchie whilst on the south coast and with Premier League experience, he could be seen as a ‘safe’ pair of hands to help guide Newcastle United to safety.

Former Arsenal manager Unai Emery has also seen his odds to be Newcastle United’s next manager slashed by the bookies.