Newcastle United are interested in making a move for VfB Stuttgart left-back Borna Sosa in January, which could potentially come as a blow to Matt Targett.
German media outlet Bild have reported that Newcastle have joined both Inter Milan and Atalanta in their interest in the Croatian left-back ahead of a potential move in the new year.
The same outlet has suggested that Sosa has recently changed agency in an attempt to force a move out of the Bundesliga side, suggesting that a move could be imminent ahead of the January transfer window.
The 24-year-old will be competing at the World Cup this month with Croatia, and Stuttgart director of football Sven Mislintat [speaking to Blid] has suggested that the full-back could leave the club this season.
“The World Cup is a brutal showcase,” Mislintat said.
“But my clear wish is that Borna stays.
“He is an absolute quality player. It would be hard enough to replace him in the summer.
“A transfer in winter would not be good. That would weaken us. It’s very important that we maintain the quality of the squad. Then we will be strong enough to stay up in the league.”
Dan Burn has acted as Newcastle’s first-choice left-back this season, having played 12 games there this campaign according to Transfermarkt, with £15m summer signing Targett struggling to get a regular look in for Eddie Howe’s side this campaign.
And the rumours surrounding the transfer of Sosa could prove to be a further setback for the former Aston Villa left-back, who could find himself acting as the club’s third choice option, should a transfer for the potential World Cup star go through.
Targett, who has been described as a “colossus” by journalist Ciaran Kelly, initially signed for Newcastle on loan in January of this year, and played in all 16 games he was eligible to play in, so a drop to the bench at the expense of Burn (who is traditionally a centre-back) may come as an incredible frustration to the former Southampton man.
But his hopes of a successful career at St. James’ Park could be dealt a fatal blow if the club are able to get the signing of Sosa over the line, and therefore we believe that Targett will be frustrated by the club’s interest in a new full-back, whether the signing is completed or not.