“Newcastle United DROP BOMBSHELL January Clause – Ross Wilson Just Called The Agent… The Defender Is ALREADY PACKING HIS BAGS!!!”

Newcastle United head into Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg clash against Manchester City with their defensive options stretched to the limit, having just four senior defenders available.

Eddie Howe’s problems worsened last week when Fabian Schar was forced off on a stretcher with an ankle injury during the dramatic 4-3 victory over Leeds United.

That setback was followed by another blow in the FA Cup third-round tie against Bournemouth, as Tino Livramento pulled up with a hamstring issue during the penalty shootout.

Livramento had started the match brightly, with Newcastle taking the lead through Harvey Barnes, but the Magpies quickly fell behind after conceding twice in six minutes to Alex Scott and David Brooks.

Anthony Gordon rescued his side late on, converting a 95th-minute penalty to force extra time before setting up Barnes, who thought he had won the tie in the 118th minute.

Bournemouth, however, struck back almost immediately through Marcus Tavernier to send the contest to penalties.

Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale then emerged as the hero, saving spot-kicks from Evanilson, Alex Jimenez and Bafode Diakite as Newcastle edged the shootout 7-6.

After the game, Howe admitted Livramento’s injury was a concern.

He explained that the full-back appeared to have suffered a hamstring problem, describing it as devastating given the effort Livramento had put into regaining peak condition.

Speaking ahead of the City match, Howe confirmed the defender was due to undergo a scan, with the club awaiting clarity on the severity of the issue.

With Livramento and Schar sidelined, Newcastle are left with Kieran Trippier, Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman and Lewis Hall as their only senior defensive options.

This has inevitably sparked speculation over potential January reinforcements.

Howe acknowledged that transfers may depend on the extent of injuries, while stressing the club’s ongoing PSR limitations and the importance of long-term value rather than short-term fixes.

One alternative being explored is the recall of Matt Targett from his loan at Middlesbrough. The 30-year-old has been a regular under Kim Hellberg and can operate at both left-back and centre-back.

Howe confirmed discussions are ongoing, with a decision expected soon due to a contractual cut-off point.

Targett is out of contract in the summer and is understood to be open to a permanent move to Boro, who are pushing for promotion.