Newcastle United in ‘advanced talks’ with winger as Aston Villa eye target

Newcastle United are in the Champions League next season following their impressive past season in the Premier League. These are exciting times to be associated with the North East outfit.

The Toon Army have the chance to bolster their ranks in the upcoming transfer window to ensure that they are ready for their schedule next term. In the meantime, here is a look at some of the latest news and rumours coming out of the club...

Left-back latest

Newcastle will face competition from some other top flight clubs in their pursuit of Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney this summer. The Scotland international, who was a key player for Celtic in the Scottish Premiership before dropping down to England to move to the Emirates Stadium, has been heavily linked with a switch to the Stadium of Light over recent times and is facing an uncertain long-term future in London at the moment.

There seems to be other teams in the race for his signature right now though with The Times claiming that Aston Villa are showing a ‘strong interest’ in signing him ahead of the next campaign. Unai Emery’s side are in the Europa Conference League next season after finishing 7th in the table and will be after some reinforcements to help prepare for that.

Player to stay?

Newcastle are in ‘advanced talks’ with Matt Ritchie over extending his contract at the club, as per a report by Football Insider. The 33-year-old’s deal expires at the end of June and he is due to become a free agent as things stand.

He injects more depth and experience into their ranks but it is safe to say he isn’t a regular starter anymore. The versatile wide-man joined in 2016 from AFC Bournemouth and has since played 198 times in all competitions to date.