Alan Shearer tells Newcastle United to complete free transfer on January 1

Alan Shearer has urged Newcastle to fork out whatever salary it would take to sign David de Gea in January.

The goalkeeper has been without a club since being allowed to leave Manchester United when his contract expired at the end of last season. De Gea's form dipped last term and Erik ten Hag sought to change the dynamic of the team, bringing in Andre Onana as a result.

De Gea has been unable to find a new suitor but is well known to Premier League outfits having previously excelled in Manchester. Newcastle have been without Nick Pope for several weeks due to injury and, in that time, their form has dropped off. January is just around the corner and Shearer believes their backline needs improving and has cited the Spanish goalkeeper as an ideal signing.

He said regarding Newcastle's recruitment on BBC Radio 5 Live: "I would agree goalkeeper and centre forward would be the two main priorities for me. But good luck trying to find a good centre forward that you can bring in for a decent amount of money."

Pressed on whether he would sign De Gea for Newcastle, Shearer replied emphatically: "Yeah, I would. I think Newcastle need a goalkeeper, and De Gea is out there. I know the salary would be huge but they wouldn’t have to pay a fee for him."

Pope's dislocated shoulder will keep him out for four months and that has left Martin Dúbravka to deputise. He shipped three at Nottingham Forest as Newcastle lost for the second time in a matter of days, leaving them further adrift of the top four and Champions League football.

The Magpies are not short of cash but must remain with Financial Fair Play regulations. Back in the summer they added the likes of Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes, but are likely to dip into the market come the New