Newcastle United are tracking players in “every position” ahead of the January transfer window - and Rafa Benitez is hopeful the Magpies will be active in their recruitment.

The Spaniard was left frustrated by United’s business during the summer window, when just six players arrived and he missed out on three of his top targets.

However, it is understood that there will be transfer funds available in the new year and Benitez is keen to make additions to his squad.

Though he has a list of possible targets for every position in the squad, a new No 10, left-back and striker are being prioritised.

When asked about possible targets for the January window during a two-and-a-half-hour sit-down with the local Press during the international break, Benitez replied: “What you have to do is to look for players in every position.

(Image: PA)

“If you are thinking, ‘Oh, we are fine in this position’, then maybe someone will come with a massive offer for a player, maybe you have a long-term injury.

“So you have to concentrate on certain positions you know you need to strengthen, but still you must not forget about the others because something could happen.

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“In the last window when the fans were talking saying: ‘Oh, we need a No 10. Oh, we need this. Oh, we need that. Oh Rafa is talking about the ‘keeper, why is he not talking about the striker?’ We were already working on Joselu, but you cannot say to them: ‘Listen, we are working on this.’

“We have time so we can work on the keeper and the striker and the No 10 or whatever.”

During the final days of the summer window, Benitez attempted to sign an additional left-back given Paul Dummett’s on-going hamstring injury.

He also scoured Europe for an additional attacking-midfielder who could play the No 10 role, and he admits United will be looking to strengthen both positions in January.

“Are we looking for competition for Perez? Yes. We are looking for competition in every position,” Benitez added.

“But if you don’t sign anyone then you must use the players that you have, and I am quite happy with him.

“If we can bring someone to compete with Dummett [in January], it will be fine [too] but at the moment I’m happy with the job the others are doing.”

Though Benitez’s public demeanour changed dramatically once the window closed, privately he is still deeply frustrated by a summer recruitment drive he believes was disastrous.

He remains hopeful that, following two-successive failed transfer windows, Newcastle will complete positive business in January due to the groundwork he and his staff are laying.

The restructured Newcastle scouting team - led by head of recruitment Steve Nickson - have been instructed in recent weeks to draw up a list of at least five names for every position ahead of the mid-season window.

A new ‘shed’ has been built at the Magpies’ Benton Training Centre in order to house the recruitment staff, who Benitez is already in regular contact with about the availability of potential targets.

“We have a new ‘shed’, or office, for the scouting department,” Benitez added.

“They are already working because it’s what you have to do. It doesn’t matter if the transfer window is not open, then you still have to be ready to bring in players and be looking.

“Everybody is doing their job for the next window, but in every training session you can see that the groundsmen have made the pitches fine, the medical department are doing well because we have just a couple of injuries, so everyone is doing their jobs.

“But afterwards things change and you have to react and have a solution in place just in case.

“We are working on what we have to do, what we would like to do, but you never know.

“But imagine in December you have an injury, then you are expecting more money on a certain player, then you have to spend however much money for a striker because they are more expensive.

“I think for us now, we have names and we have options and are following players. We have as much information as we can for everyone.

“Everything is more complicated than it seems. We try to analyse sometimes too many things, but you can be lucky that sometimes you sign a player who is not fit or doesn’t have a good record, but then he comes here, settles down and does well and starts scoring goals.”