Buying Kieran Trippier from Atlético Madrid last January, Newcastle United kicked off a big revolution at St James’ Park.
The England international was the first sign the Magpies meant business, and that’s exactly what they’ve shown both on the pitch and off it.
Despite his integral part in Eddie Howe’s plans at Newcastle, the 32-year-old will need to be rotated more often as the years go by, especially with European football to add to the calendar, which is why the idea of signing a new right-back for the long-term makes sense.
Neither Emil Krafth nor Javier Manquillo will be that solution, and while Harrison Ashby was bought from West Ham United’s U21s, it remains to be seen if the 21-year-old will be useful.
Thus, a January report claiming Newcastle were looking at Denzel Dumfries was certainly logical, even if a transfer in the last window would have overcrowded the squad a bit.
This summer, however, will be very different, with the Magpies likely cutting ties with some of their deadweight, and making room for new signings.
La Repubblica on Monday, looking at the situation of Juan Cuadrado at Juventus, with Inter interested in his services, make it clear that any move for the Colombian from the San Siro side will need to be preceded (or followed) by the exit of Dumfries.
That’s where they mention Newcastle, stating both the Tyneside club and Chelsea are ‘on the Dutchman’, with the move for Cuadrado likely unable to take shape without his transfer.
Therefore, this is something we need to brace ourselves for, because it’s likely to pick up some steam in the coming months, with the likes of Sven Botman capable of welcoming him nicely to St James’ Park.
