Landon Donovan Rumored For Newcastle Loan

The rumors surrounding Landon Donovan's offseason excursions took a twist Sunday when the British tabloid Sunday Sun reported the U.S. all-time leading scorer has been offered to Newcastle.

The report, of course, must be taken with a grain of salt, especially when considering that Donovan told Goal.com he would only consider a loan during the MLS offseason if it was to Everton, where he earned rave reviews for a three-month stint last year.

Following unsuccessful spells earlier in his career with Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich, Donovan's European value skyrocketed during the past year, when he impressed with Everton and bagged three goals at the World Cup.

Everton manager David Moyes has not been shy about his admiration of Donovan, and the struggling Toffees could certainly use him to help steer clear of the relegation zone.

Newcastle, meanwhile, could be looking at Donovan as a replacement for winger Hatem Ben Arfa, whose leg was broken in October by -- who else? -- infamously violent Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong.

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@FanHouseSoccer | @JefferKing MLS Commissioner Don Garber made retaining Donovan a priority for the league once the 28-year-old returned from South Africa, and whispered-about moves to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City never materialized.

Whether another loan would be advisable to Donovan is debatable. After leading the Los Angeles Galaxy to the MLS Cup in late November 2009, he had less than six weeks of rest before debuting for Everton.

From that point on, Donovan played without an extended break for the better part of 11 months, starting 24 MLS matches, three playoff games and eight international fixtures. With the crucial 2011 Gold Cup looming, it might be in Donovan's best interest to take a vacation and return to club action when the MLS campaign kicks off in March.

On the other hand, Donovan has never been plagued by significant injury concerns, and his fitness is renowned. With players such as Clint Dempsey and Stuart Holden enjoying remarkable seasons in England, having another American show his worth against the best in the world would give U.S. Soccer all the more respect abroad.