Raphael Benitez has identified Ghanaian enforcer, Afriyie Acquah, as the man to shore up his leaky back line and has offered player plus cash for the services of the Torino hard tackler.

The Saint James Park outfit missed out on the services of the Ghana international in the summer but has returned with an improved offer ahead of an imminent winter transfer window.

The Magpies are on a dreadful run in the premiership after some impressive run of matches at the start of the season. The Toon army, however, earmarked the Ghanaian import to shore up the defensive midfield role, willing to offer Alexander Mitrovic plus cash to secure the services of the Torino hard tackler.

A drop down the pecking order at Torino could fast track things with Newcastle United destined to land their long term target in the January transfer window.

With Torino looking for a partner to the misfiring Andre Bellotti, the Granata might just endorse the business without any long tussle. A return of 89 minutes in the Premier League all season long is a testimony of how Mitrovic has lost his place at St James Park under Raphael Benitez.