Newcastle recently joined Crystal Palace in the race for James McCarthy. Mohamed Diame left the Magpies over the summer and could be joined by Isaac Hayden and Jack Colback which would leave Steve Bruce in desperate need of replacements. Sean Longstaff has been linked with a move to Manchester United too.

Palace are on the hunt for a midfielder as they’re currently short on options in the engine room and have made little progress in the transfer market. The Eagles only have Luka Milivojevic, James McArthur and Cheikhou Kouyaté to choose from in the middle of the park. It’s clear that Newcastle and Palace need to bolster their midfield, but McCarthy would not be a good acquisition.

The 28-year-old has made only seven appearances in the last two seasons, only one of which came in 2018/19. McCarthy has struggled with injury problems at Everton which has caused him to fall down the pecking order under Marco Silva, so why are Newcastle and Palace interested Everton are reportedly requesting £10m for the £50k-per-week midfielder which is very ambitious.

The Toffees may have paid £13m to sign McCarthy in 2013, but he’s not worth £10m after racking up just 14 minutes of football last season. Newcastle and Palace should look elsewhere.

Stats from Transfermarkt.