Newcastle United still in the race to sign Championship star

Newcastle United have not given up hope of signing Fulham star Tom Cairney during the January transfer window, reports The Newcastle Chronicle.

Cairney, 25, has enjoyed a stunning campaign for the Cottagers this season and has already been subject to interest from the Championship leaders already this month.

Fulham have reportedly told Newcastle to pay £20m for the Championship ace in a bid to ward off interest but Rafa Benitez’s side are still hopeful of securing his services with over two weeks of the transfer window remaining.

Slavisa Jokanovic’s side are understandably anxious about losing their star player this month, as his absence would be a real blow to their ambitions of catching those teams in the play-off positions.

Cairney is Fulham’s highest rated player this season (7.37) after playing a direct hand in eight goals (five goals, three assists). Not only that, but his passing stats are incredible for a player in his position.

Occupying the No.10 role for Fulham, only two players in the Championship average more passes per game than Cairney (73), while he boasts the best pass success rate in the division (92.4%).

For more stats on Tom Cairney, click here to visit his WhoScored player page