Newcastle United have already spent close to £100m on signing Harvey Barnes and Sandro Tonali, yet hungry supporters are hopeful there is room for one more high-profile addition this summer.

Who are Newcastle United's new signings?

Barnes was a reported £39m arrival from relegated Leicester City last week, strengthening Eddie Howe's ranks out wide, while central midfielder Tonali joined in a £55m deal from AC Milan earlier in the window.

The Toon have to ensure they spend within Financial Fair Play constraints, meaning that players may have to be sold before any more arrive at St James' Park.

With Allan Saint-Maximin set to join Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli for an inflated £30m fee, as per The Athletic, that could provide the Magpies with some wriggle room to bring in another midfielder.

Manchester United's Scott McTominay has been a long-term target for Howe, and The Telegraph reports that the Red Devils would be willing to sell the Scotland international – also wanted by West Ham United – if a £45m offer is tabled.

What position does Scott McTominay play?

That type of asking price for a player who started just ten Premier League games last season may seem an awful lot, but McTominay is an established top-flight player with more than 200 appearances for United to his name.

Ultimately, a player is only worth as much as any club is willing to pay, and it must be remembered that £45m is £10m less than United paid Chelsea to sign Mason Mount, who was into the final year of his Stamford Bridge contract.

There is no denying that McTominay's stature is not quite the same as it was in December 2021, say, when Thierry Henry described him as a "leader" in the United squad.

However, the 26-year-old still made his presence felt at Old Trafford last season – the first in which he made fewer than 30 Premier League appearances since 2019-20.

McTominay was particularly strong in the defensive aspects of the game, averaging 3.12 clearances per 90 and winning 2.84 aerials per 90, according to FBref, which ranks him among the top 1% and 2% of all midfielders across Europe's top five leagues respectively.

It is for those stats that Danny Murphy likely hailed the Scot's ability to "destroy and stop the opposition scoring." The talkSPORT pundit added: "He’d be a nightmare to play against."

As good a player as Tonali is, those are areas he does not exactly thrive, ranked as he is in the bottom 39% for clearances (0.86 per 90) and bottom 18% for aerials won (0.43 per 90).

That suggests McTominay could help complement Tonali, and the Scotsman also added a different dimension to his game towards the end of the 2022-23 season: scoring goals.

The 6 foot 4 ace netted six times in his final 11 appearances of the campaign, five of those goals coming for Scotland as he was given more of a licence to get forward.

Assuming Howe sticks with his favoured 4-3-3 formation this coming campaign – although he has thrown a spanner in the works by playing with a back five in pre-season – McTominay and Tonali could easily link up in midfield alongside Bruno Guimaraes.

Alternatively, McTominay would provide a brilliant back-up option from the bench for Tonali and/or Guimaraes – the type of squad depth that Howe desperately craves with European football to factor in this season.

If there is to be just one more arrival at Newcastle this summer, then it makes perfect sense for McTominay to be that man.