Bayern Munich are expected to test Newcastle’s newfound resolve not to sell Kieran Trippier with an improved bid for Eddie Howe’s England right back.
After internal club discussions on Saturday night and Sunday morning Newcastle indicated that they will reject any further offers for Trippier but, realistically, that stance could change should they receive a significant improvement on the Bundesliga club’s initial bid, made on Saturday, for the 33-year-old.
Trippier is keen to play for Thomas Tuchel at Bayern – where he would be reunited with his friends and former Tottenham teammates Harry Kane and Eric Dier – but has reassured Newcastle that he does not intend to force a move through.
The same applies to Callum Wilson. Howe’s English striker was the subject of a loan bid from Atlético Madrid on Saturday night, which was swiftly rejected by Newcastle. Given that Atlético are understood to have no interest in buying a forward who turns 32 next month outright, Wilson seems far likelier to remain on Tyneside than Trippier. The striker suffers from frequent injuries but he has a habit of scoring vital goals for Howe’s team.
Moreover, while Howe possesses excellent right-back cover in Tino Livramento, Wilson and Alexander Isak are his only senior central strikers and it is inconceivable that he would part with the former without having a suitable replacement lined up. With Newcastle close to breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules after spending £400m on their squad in the two years since the club’s Saudi Arabian led takeover, there is no money available to sign a top-class striker.
Despite noises to the contrary, Trippier’s departure could facilitate the much-needed recruitment of a new midfielder. Howe, though, regards the right-back, a £12m buy from Atlético Madrid two years ago, as a talismanic leader on and off the pitch and has remained close to Trippier since briefly managing him at Burnley.
Much depends on how much Bayern are prepared to pay for the defender after apparently being encouraged by a suggestion from Darren Eales, Newcastle’s chief executive, earlier this month that “every player has his price” and that Howe would need to “trade” before buying new players.
