Following a disastrous summer transfer window, Newcastle United could be about to suffer their biggest blow yet after deadline day, with one player reportedly agreeing personal terms with a European club.
Newcastle transfer news
The Magpies entered the transfer window in desperate need of another centre-back and ideally a replacement for Miguel Almiron. To put their struggles into context, they still need exactly that now that it has slammed shut months later. The summer should be seen as a major failure by all involved at St James' Park, with Eddie Howe now left scrambling for defensive options.
Having set their sights on Marc Guehi up until the Premier League's transfer deadline, Newcastle didn't have an alternative to turn to when they reportedly saw yet another bid in the region of £60m rejected by Crystal Palace.
"Incredible" Newcastle player set to travel for talks as shock move nears
The Magpies are set to lose the defender…
ByTom CunninghamSep 1, 2024
Instead, they seemingly turned towards solving another squad problem by seeking an upgrade on Almiron by reportedly including the winger in a player-plus-cash deal worth £50m to sign Anthony Elanga. Like Palace, however, Nottingham Forest rejected the Magpies' approach.
Licking their wounds ever since their failure, things could yet get even worse for those at St James' Park. According to Turkish journalist Resat Can Ozbudak, Super Lig outfit Eyupspor have reached an agreement on personal terms with Kieran Trippier, with the Istanbul-based club now waiting to open negotiations with Newcastle over a deal to sign the right-back.
Trippier, of course, currently finds himself out of Howe's starting side following the re-emergence of Tino Livramento, and may seal a move away from Tyneside in pursuit of minutes before the transfer window in Turkey closes on 18th September.
It's certainly a time of change in the right-back's career following his retirement from international football. Hanging up his boots on the international stage after coming so close to making history for England on more than one occasion, it looks as though Trippier is also ready for a change at club level.
Newcastle must keep "fundamental" Trippier
After failing to sign Guehi to leave Howe's side short at centre-back and force Dan Burn to step in once again, Newcastle cannot afford to be left even shorter at full-back by losing Trippier without being in a position to welcome a replacement.
This isn't the first time that the former Tottenham Hotspur man has been linked with a move away, with Howe taking the opportunity to sing his praises amid previous links to Bayern Munich.
Howe told the press (via Metro): "He is a guy who will play a lot of creative passes before a goal happens. He has been fundamental to how we work – his leadership skills behind the scenes have been second to none."
Earning a reported £120,000 a week and under contract at Newcastle until 2026 as things stand, Newcastle should make sure to keep hold of Trippier until at least the January transfer window or next summer, when they'll have the chance to bring in a successor. Until then, however, they may face a nervous wait.