Last month, The Athletic released a piece explaining why it is NOT a forgone conclusion that Matt Targett will complete a permanent move to Newcastle.
In that article, Chris Waugh explained that Eddie Howe ideally wants an attacking left-back to add some balance to his side from an offensive point of view, meaning a more marauding option could yet be pursued instead of the Aston Villa loanee.
With that in mind, it’s interesting to see two familiar names have been linked with summer move to Newcastle United over the past 24 hours.
According to German outlet SportBILD, we are preparing to launch an improved offer for Mitchel Bakker – the Bayer Leverkusen left-back who looked likely to arrive in January at one stage.
They report that we’re prepared to offer €25m for the Dutch U21 international, while Atletico Madrid’s Renan Lodi has been tipped to arrive on Tyneside once again.
Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb claim that Juventus are now facing ‘strong’ competition from Newcastle over the Brazilian’s signature, stating we’ll launch a €25m bid for the 24-year-old this summer.
Who knows, we may sign two left-backs over the coming months – we may need to if Dummett is released, Ritchie sold and Lewis loaned out – however it makes you wonder if we really are exploring our options before committing to any £15m move for the more defensive minded Matt Targett.
“two familiar names have been linked with summer move to Newcastle” ??
Matt Targett’s name I recognise but the other two are definitely UNFAMILIAR
Comic Als(Quote)
They’ve been linked a lot over the past few months, that’s why.
Bakker was tipped to sign throughout January and Lodi has linked by several outlets since.
Olly Hawkins(Quote)