NEWCASTLE UNITED will make a loan move for Phil Jones in next month’s transfer window, but have already ruled out any prospect of signing the former England international permanently.

Jones, who was left out of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Premier League squad at the start of the season, is keen to leave Old Trafford at the turn of the year.

Magpies manager Steve Bruce is aware of the defender’s desire to kick-start his career away from Manchester United, and has been looking to recruit a new central defender for some time now. A loan deal for Arsenal’s Rob Holding was in place in the summer, only to collapse when Mikel Arteta decided he needed the 25-year-old in his own first-team squad at the Emirates.

Bruce is ready to give Jones a chance to turn around his fortunes with Newcastle, but will only countenance a loan deal until the end of the season. Even then, the Magpies would almost certainly need Manchester United to continue paying some of Jones’ wages, which are understood to be around £100,000-a-week.

A permanent deal for the 28-year-old would require him to take a significant pay cut as Newcastle would not want to make him their highest-paid player, and given that he is contracted to Manchester United until 2023, he would also command a significant transfer fee.

Mike Ashley is willing to consider loan deals next month, but does not want to commit to a major outlay on permanent transfers while he is still hoping to resurrect a proposed sale to Amanda Staveley’s Saudi Arabia-backed consortium. The stalled deal could be sparked back into life if the Premier League changes its stance.