Newcastle United could be handed Yoane Wissa blow after transfer is completed

That is because the Africa Cup of Nations begins in late December and continues into mid-January. The country Wissa represents, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have qualified for the tournament and are in a group with Benin, Botswana and Senegal.

Each group’s top two finishers plus four of the six third-placed teams advance to the knockout stages. DR Congo start their campaign on December 23, three days after Newcastle host Chelsea. Wissa will presumably miss that match if fit and called up by his nation, but should be available for the season’s first Tyne-Wear derby on 13 December.