AS crazy as it sounds, it may just make sense for Newcastle to cash in on Kieran Trippier.
The Magpies insist their talisman is not for sale as Bayern Munich chase the England international but, as CEO Darren Eales admitted earlier this month, everyone has a price.
An initial loan offer was understandably rejected out of hand over the weekend yet if the German giants were to come in with a hefty offer, can the Geordies really say no?
Selling your star players is hardly a recipe for success, though Trippier’s could just be a special case.
For starters, while Toon boss Eddie Howe will never admit it, Newcastle’s campaign – which promised so much not too long ago – is close to being a write off.
Dumped out of the Champions League, 10th in the Prem and 14 points off the top four, focus is already shifting to next season.
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And as Financial Fair Play rules continue to dog the Saudi-funded Tynesiders, new players are needed if Newcastle are to come back stronger next term.
Right-back Trippier is not going to command a fee anywhere near the £100million someone like Bruno Guimaraes or Alexander Isak could, but selling him would allow them to make signings of their own this month.
One of the highest earners on around £120,000-a-week, the England international turns 34 in September so is unlikely to get any better.
His form fell off a cliff during a torrid December having been a model of consistency since joining from Atletico Madrid for £12m two years ago, and while he has recovered somewhat from that alarming slump, his best days in black and white may have been and gone.
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With his contract expiring in the summer of 2025, this is almost certainly their last chance to command a fee for the veteran.
Injuries have wrecked Newcastle’s season but one of the beneficiaries has been Tino Livramento, leaving fans scratching their heads as to how he has only started six Prem games since arriving from Southampton last summer.
Signed as Trippier’s long-term successor, the 21-year-old has already proven that he has everything to be a Newcastle stalwart for the next decade.
And if Trippier’s head has been turned at the prospect of reuniting with old Tottenham pals Harry Kane and Eric Dier, with the chance of winning the Bundesliga and Champions League, does it really make sense to further block Livramento’s development with little to play for over the second half of the season?
Newcastle’s talisman since he arrived, Trippier can already lay claim to being Newcastle’s greatest ever right-back.
Selling him was not even close to approaching the radar at the beginning of January, but if Bayern put a sizable cash offer on the table, it may just be too good for the Mags to turn down.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
