To say it’s been a busy summer for Newcastle United and Aston Villa would be an understatement. Both have lost key players and both have been forced to find replacements quickly.
Admittedly, Villa won the final half with far greater success than the Magpies. Unai Emery welcomed Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes and Alejandro Garnacho who will fill in for Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers. Meanwhile, Newcastle have struggled to land all of their top targets.
Now, the Premier League duo will meet again in the transfer market in pursuit of James Tavernier. The former Rangers captain remains a free agent after leaving Ibrox at the end of last season and is not short of interest.
|
James Tavernier at Rangers |
|
|---|---|
|
Games |
565 |
|
Goals |
144 |
|
It helps |
148 |
|
Scottish Premierships |
1 |
|
Scottish Cups |
1 |
|
Scottish League Cup |
1 |
At the age of 34, Tavernier ended an illustrious Rangers career. The right-back has done it all at Ibrox and the Gers will be hard-pressed to find another full-back who has scored 292 goals in 565 appearances.
With Newcastle looking for a replacement for Kieran Trippier, signing Tavernier would make a lot of sense. With an experienced full-back on the other who can drive Eddie Howe’s side forward.
At a time when no star player has a guaranteed future on Tyneside, signing Tavernier will also ease concerns that Newcastle could be left by Tino Livramento.
The situation is less urgent for Aston Villa, who have got Matty Cash to call up youngster Kosta Nedeljkovic, making Tavernier a big signing for pure experience.
Aston Villa and Newcastle launch James Tavernier hijack
As reported by TeamTalk, Aston Villa and Newcastle have launched approaches to sign Tavernier this summer, as they look to hijack Charlotte FC’s move to MLS.
The American club is reportedly in good shape, with the defender leaning towards MLS at this stage of his career, but Villa and Newcastle are not giving up.
While Tavernier is a free agent, the Premier League duo remain in the race to secure his signature. The ball is very much in the quarterback’s court, but he has to make a quick decision as the season begins.
Away from the right-back, Newcastle are focused on signing another midfielder. They have already signed Aladji Bamba from AS Monaco, but they still need to add more as Bruno Guimaraes prepares to leave.
Who that next name is is still a big question. Botafogo star Danilo is certainly a popular name.
The Brazilian has been in good form in South America and the Magpies have been linked with him in the race for his signature. With a release clause worth just €20m (£17m), he is one to watch this summer.
