"Honestly": Keith Downie drops hint over change of Newcastle transfer strategy in next 48 hours

Newcastle may start to turn to the loan market this weekend, according to Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie.

Having signed Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood in the first half of the transfer window, Newcastle have endured a frustrating couple of weeks since, and Downie believes they could look to change their strategy to bring in players prior to Monday's deadline.

The North-East club have been linked with a host of players over the past few weeks, yet time is now running out for them to bolster their squad.

Eddie Howe appears very keen to sign a centre-back as Newcastle have been linked with Diego Carlos and Benoit Badiashile, plus Brighton duo Adam Webster and Dan Burn.

They also seem to be closing in on signing midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, although that transfer is still yet to be officially confirmed, while Atalanta's Duvan Zapata is a player of interest to strengthen the side's front line.

Rangnick not at Old Trafford next season?! Find out more on The Football Terrace...

Whether any of these deals get done remains to be seen, but Downie has suggested that Newcastle may have to start signing players on a temporary basis if they can't complete any permanent moves before the weekend.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “If you get into the weekend and you’ve not signed players, honestly, there comes a stage where you just have to look at the loan market.”

Heading into January, Newcastle would have wanted to sign a significant number of players to help them move out of the bottom three.

However, they seem to be realising how tricky it can be to do business at this time of year, with clubs not necessarily willing to lose some of their stars midway through the season.

Therefore, it may be time for Newcastle to switch tactics