There's just two days to go until the end of the January transfer window and Newcastle United are running out of time to get all of their business done before Monday's deadline.
Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood have already made the move to Tyneside this month, with Bruno Guimaraes close to completing his £33m switch from Lyon.
However, an area Newcastle haven't strengthened yet is at centre-back and Eddie Howe will be desperate to get one over the line given their dismal defensive record.
Only Norwich City (46) have conceded more goals than the Magpies' 43 in 21 matches this season, keeping just two clean sheets in the process.
Someone who has been linked to fill that void is Dan Burn, who has impressed at Brighton & Hove Albion since making the £4million move from Wigan Athletic in 2018.
It has been reported that the Seagulls rejected an initial £8m offer for the Blyth-born defender, however, Newcastle are hopeful to agree a deal before the window slams shut.
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A boyhood Magpies fan, Burn reflected on his time in the club's academy when he was a youngster before he faced Newcastle in July 2020.
As per the Brighton & Hove Independent, Burn said: "I was playing for Blyth Spartans as a junior, and was scouted by Newcastle United and invited to join their development centre.
"You have the Academy, where the best players went, and the development centre would run alongside that, where you would train Fridays, and they kept an eye on the players’ progress.
"It wasn’t that great to be honest. While I was a good footballer when I joined them, as the two or three years went on, I declined quite rapidly. My body shot up, and I didn’t really catch up with myself football-wise until I was 15 or 16.
"I got released around Christmas time too, and it knocked my confidence.
"For a good couple of years. It wasn’t until I started growing into my body again that I started enjoying my football once more. I then kicked on and eventually got my league chance when I joined Darlington."
After starting his senior career at Darlington, Burn made the move to Fulham at the end of the 2010/11 season for a fee thought to be around £350,000.
He made 69 appearances in total for the Cottagers and also enjoyed loan spells at Yeovil Town and Birmingham City, before joining Wigan in 2016.
Burn helped the Latics to the League One title in his second season, scoring six times in 45 matches and his excellent form earned him a transfer to Brighton, where he has flourished since.
Nevertheless, despite the frustration he endured in his early career, the 6'7" centre-back also spoke of his support for the Toon Army and his love for the club.
He said: "Coming from the town of Blyth, everyone’s a Newcastle supporter, so you’re born into it.
"My dad had a season-ticket, a real die-hard fan, and he signed me up to the Junior Magpies club early.
"I started playing football when I was six or seven, so got more into it more and then my dad would eventually start taking me to loads of games.
"I eventually had my own season-ticket and the years I remember most from my childhood was when the club played in the Champions League – they were great times for the club."
He added: "I would have loved to play for Newcastle, but, at that age, at that time in my career, it was the best decision for me to get away from that goldfish bowl where everyone’s analysing what you’re doing.
"I just wanted to get away and solely concentrate on my football, which was the correct decision."
