With just a matter of days left of the January transfer window, Premier League clubs are already paying close attention to the deals they can pull off once the summer trading period rolls around. For Newcastle United, and their top flight rivals, that means testing the waters for players determined to run their contracts down and leave on a free come the end of the season.

As Chronicle Live reported last week, the Magpies have been tracking Lille forward Jonathan David, who has snubbed fresh contract offers at the Ligue 1 outfit to prompt a transfer tug of war for his signature. Yet another option closer to home, in a similar role, is Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The Toffees' forward has been tracked as a potential replacement for Callum Wilson next season, with Eddie Howe said to be a big fan of the former England international. Calvert-Lewin is unlikely to pen a new deal at Goodison Park, while the striker is said to favour a Premier League move - due to family reasons - rather than entertain interest from clubs abroad.

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There are certainly reasons why a move for the 27-year-old would make sense. Premier League experience, age profile, a lack of depth in that area for Newcastle - and, most importantly, the fact Howe's side wouldn't have to part with any of their transfer kitty.

Yet the latest round of Premier League fixtures provided a bleak reminder of Calvert-Lewin's vulnerabilities as the forward limped off with a suspected hamstring injury. “They don’t look great either of them,” new Everton boss David Moyes said of Calvert-Lewin and Orel Mangala's injuries after beating Brighton on the road.

“But they’ll get assessed first thing (on Sunday) and then we’ll make a decision. They seem like they’re not the best, either of them, at the moment."

Calvert-Lewin looked to have banished the injury issues that previously plagued his time on Merseyside. In total, the striker missed 88 games - for club and country - between the 2017/18 and 2023/24 campaigns. However, before his latest setback he had gone over a year without being sidelined, until a minor ankle issue kept him out briefly earlier this month.

It is the biggest weakness of Calvert-Lewin's game - his ability to stay fit - and should be ringing alarm bells for Newcastle, who are expected to move on a fellow injury-prone professional in the coming months.

Wilson himself is on course to return in early February after a stop-start season thus far. The Newcastle No 9 is also approaching the end of his current deal, with his future unclear at present.

There will be major temptation to go for someone like Calvert-Lewin due to the experience he can offer at a limited cost - but Saturday's setback is a timely remainder of a frailty of the attacker's game that Newcastle must take into account as they build a team for the future.

He is available for free, may have played his last game for Everton and could sign a pre-contract with clubs abroad now. Newcastle must consider the situation carefully.