Journalist Keith Downie has claimed that getting Matt Targett in on a permanent deal is a priority for Newcastle United.
Targett joined Newcastle on loan in January after Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard brought in Lucas Digne from Everton. The current loan deal has an option to buy in the summer, so if Eddie Howe feels like the defender will fit his plans, the deal can be made permanent.
The 26-year-old was the mainstay left-back for Villa last season in the first half of this campaign, while last term he made 38 Premier League appearances. This season, he featured 17 times for Villa before making the switch to Newcastle.
With Targett a regular under Eddie Howe since January, Downie highlighted to GiveMeSport that the English left-back is a current priority for Newcastle.
“I think the priority is to get Matt Targett in. I think they’re trying to juggle, but they’ve got an option in the Targett deal, so I fully expect that to be done,” Downie said.
TIF Thoughts on Keith Downie’s comments…
Targett is currently valued at £15.3 million by Transfermarkt and has had a mixed bag in terms of stats this campaign in the Premier League for both Aston Villa and Newcastle. He has an average passing accuracy of just 74% and makes an average of just 1.3 interceptions per game, but he also has helped his side keep five clean sheets and made zero errors that have led to goals, as per SofaScore.
Targett could be seen as a good option for Eddie Howe in the short term, but with the new Saudi takeover, they could potentially go for a player who has more experience playing at a higher level.