According to Teamtalk, Newcastle United are preparing a January bid to bring Ben Gibson Gibson back to the North East.
Gibson's struggles
The 26-year-old defender joined Burnley from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2018 in a £15million club-record deal. His time at Burnley hasn't been as influential as his price tag suggests, having only made six appearances so far for the Clarets.
One of those appearances was a start against Everton, scoring the opener in a 5-1 loss at Turf Moor.
Burnley look ready to move on with James Tarkowski and Ben Mee clearly favoured over Gibson who does not look like breaking into the first team.
Could he hit the ground running on a return to the North-East?
18 months after his move, Gibson will have to look for first-team football and Newcastle could be the perfect fit as Steve Bruce eyes a loan move with for a centre-back that would surely help remedy the defensive frailties they have shown at times this season.
Gibson appeared in every Premier League game for Middlesbrough in 16/17, keeping 11 clean sheets in the process. He still has a lot to prove in the top-flight.
His return to the North-East may be exactly what he needs and Bruce would love to add another homegrown talent to his side in a bid for Newcastle to avoid the drop this season.