Newcastle are set for a massive summer and Rafa Benitez should be looking to make improvements all over his squad as his side prepares for life back in the Premier League.
One area that has been a constant concern to the fans is at left-back, where Paul Dummett has failed to impress sections of the St. James’ Park crowd – and Benitez’s answer lies in the Dutch Eredivise with PSV’s Jetro Willems.
Newcastle Chronicle editor Mark Douglas has reported on his personal Twitter account that Willems has been made available by the Eindhoven-based outfit for anything between £5million and £6million.
Reliable journalist Douglas also added that the Magpies were “seriously keen” on the 23-year-old two or three years ago.
Jetro Willems available at PSV. £5-6m. Previous #nufc interest…..
— Mark Douglas (@MsiDouglas) May 26, 2017
Not that I've heard… They were seriously keen 2-3 years ago
— Mark Douglas (@MsiDouglas) May 26, 2017
Although he asserts that he isn’t aware of any current interest from Newcastle – they must re-ignite their interest in Willems, who would be the perfect replacement for Dummett.
Achraf Lazaar and Massadio Haidara are currently Benitez’s only other options on the left side of defence and those two are clearly not up to the standards of Premier League football following disappointing campaigns in the second-tier.
Willems was massively rated as a teenager when he was included in the Netherlands’ Euro 2012 squad at the age of 18.
The left-back is currently the youngest ever player to take part in the European Championships and is still going strong in the Dutch national side with 22 caps to his name.
He is also still a main feature in the PSV squad and made 32 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring two goals which both came in the same match against AZ Alkmaar in February.
Willems is a bright, attack-minded full-back that could easily slot into most Premier League sides that are not among the top six.
His best years are still ahead of him and could prove to be a menace to top-flight opponents in the future as the Magpies aim to avoid yet another relegation.
Benitez would be foolish to look past the PSV ace because the left-back area is definitely one of the places he simply has to invest in over the summer.
Mike Ashley has given his full financial backing to the Magpies boss and Willems should join Christian Atsu in what has already been a strong start to the transfer window.