Fulham are in the hunt for Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey to replace Tom Cairney, according to the Sun.
The newspaper reports on its website that the Cottagers, who spent over £100million in the summer, are keen on the United ace, adding that they have their fingers crossed that the Magpies will greenlight an exit for the six foot [Transfermarkt] mainstay in the January transfer window.
New Fulham boss Claudio Ranieri has not favoured Cairney recently, and the former Leicester manager is keen to replace the fan favourite next month in a swap deal with Newcastle.
OPINION
The last thing Rafa Benitez needs to do in the January transfer window is to get rid of Shelvey. Benitez does not know who he will bring in next month and the worst thing he could do is let one of his best players leave for a club who is also battling relegation this season. With Ki Sung-Yueng away with South Korea for the Asian Cup, Benitez needs Shelvey more than ever at the moment. The manager needs to avoid getting rid of him at all costs – yes, he may have fallen slightly out of favour due to the excellent form of Ki, but that does not mean that he has no more to contribute towards this Newcastle team. Shelvey has demonstrated time and time again that he is an integral member of the starting XI , especially last season when he was instrumental in leading Newcastle to tenth place in the Premier League upon their return. There is no denying the talent that Cairney has – he has also proved his worth previously – but Benitez do all he can to keep Shelvey at Newcastle.
