Jong love

I'm not convinced that "I can imagine going" - a lukewarm, non-committal statement if ever there was one - quite constitutes a "'come and get me' plea", but that's what the Ronny Gill are claiming with regard to Luuk de Jong's potential move to St James' Park.

The Netherlands striker was hot property when he announced his intention to leave FC Twente in the summer of 2012, Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach beating us (and others) to his signature in a £12.6m deal. So it's something of a surprise to note that the move has turned very sour, de Jong having fallen out of favour with coach Lucien Favre and openly criticised him for a lack of game time.

Both the player and his club appear keen for a permanent deal to be struck, but we'd allegedly prefer to be cautious and sign him on loan, at least initially. That would probably be prudent - after all, he's likely to be short of match fitness and form. It would however take us to our loanee limit, which would mean any other signings would have to be on a permanent basis - not necessarily an issue, but knowing Jabba's reluctance to part with any cash that might end up being the sum total of our transfer activity.