Joe Kinnear could target John Arne Riise in the January transfer window after hinting at making a loan move for the Roma defender.

The Newcastle interim manager, whose side face Chelsea tomorrow, is uncertain how long he will remain in charge at St James' Park with the club still up for sale.

However, he has drawn up a shortlist of potential targets to give to owner Mike Ashley should his stay extend into the new year. "We need two players in as soon as possible, and I have them in mind," Kinnear said. "One is with Roma and he is not in the team at the moment. The other is a player who has already scored against us this season.

"I know their agents and what they would be is loan deals from January until the end of the season. We need to strengthen the team and, if we can get them, they would be a big boost because both are top-class players."

Riise, 28, joined Roma in a £4m transfer from Liverpool during the summer but, despite starting eight league games this season, he is not an automatic selection.

Kinnear's second target is harder to predict but reports have linked him with a move for Denilson, the Arsenal midfielder. He scored against Newcastle this season and Kinnear is a friend of Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager.