IRISH winger Daryl Horgan would love to make a January move to Newcastle United, with the Magpies having monitored his progress closely over the last three months.

Horgan’s performances with League of Ireland side Dundalk have earned him a maiden call-up to Martin O’Neill’s senior Ireland squad for this weekend’s World Cup qualifier with Austria, and have also seen him linked with a possible move to Tyneside.

Newcastle scouts have attended a number of Dundalk’s Europa League games to watch Horgan at first hand, and were also present at last weekend’s FAI Cup final that saw Dundalk suffer a last-gasp defeat to Cork City.

It is not unknown for players to make the move from the Irish league to England, with Newcastle striker Daryl Murphy having joined Sunderland from the relative backwater of Waterford United.

Rafael Benitez tracked a number of wingers last summer, and while he eventually signed both Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu, the possible departure of Yoan Gouffran, who is out of contract next summer, means he could look to bolster his wide options when the transfer window reopens in January.

“I don’t really know (about the Newcastle speculation),” said Horgan, who turned 24 in August. “To be honest with you, I try to stay out of it as much as I possibly can.

“Look, it’s very easy to say you’re interested – it’s very different to put an offer on the table and, at the minute, there are no offers on the table.

“I’m a Dundalk player, I’m very happy at Dundalk, but as I said, if an offer does come in from somewhere, I’d have to consider it – especially something like a massive club like Newcastle.”