Newcastle United are considering a move for Inter Milan's Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries, who has been linked with a move away from Serie A this season.
What's the latest on Denzel Dumfries to Newcastle?
According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the 27-year-old full-back is poised for a departure from Milano this summer, with I Nerazzurri needing to balance the books.
Touted at €55m (£48m) in January, Dumfries is now available for just €30m (£26m), which leaves the Magpies in good stead to swoop and bolster their defensive ranks after a fantastic campaign has all but secured European football next year.
Indeed, the club are now believed to have already had initial conversations about acquiring his signature, going to the extent of lodging an enquiry.
Premier League rivals Manchester United have also been linked with a move for the Netherlands international this season, and with his valuing depreciating Magpies manager Eddie Howe must act quickly to add a dangerous new dimension to the fold.
Should Newcastle sign Dumfries?
Kieran Trippier has probably been the best right-back, or perhaps even full-back, in the Premier League since arriving at St. James's Park from Atletico Madrid in January 2022 for £12m, forging 48 appearances, scoring three goals and supplying nine assists, instrumental in the meteoric rise to Champions League contention.
But at 32-years-old, the 41-cap England international is not getting any younger and the Toon are discernibly lacking in depth down the defensive right flank – Emil Krafth and Javier Manquillo are the only other options in the right-back position and neither appear to have a future on Tyneside.
And with the Magpies occupying third place in the top-flight with just four games to play, six points above Liverpool in fifth, strengthening the position is imperative if European endeavours are to be fruitful next term.
Dumfries is a remarkable threat from the defensive flank, hailed for his "breathless" displays at the 2022 World Cup by pundit Micah Richards.
In Qatar, the £55k-per-week ace scored one goal and two assists – as per Sofascore – as the Netherlands reached the quarter-finals, felled on penalties by eventual champions Argentina, and has scored two goals and provided six assists at club level for Inter this term.
As per FBref, the dynamo ranks among the top 3% of full-backs across Europe's big five leagues for total shots, the top 20% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for touches in the attacking box and the top 6% for aerials won per 90, illustrating a persistent menace that will only increase Newcastle's chances of success across multiple fronts.
He would be a "deadly" asset to Howe's system, in the words of reporter Marco Messina, and would bring a different form of offensive potency to the fold, with Trippier's strengths placed in a more creative territory, ranking among the top 1% of full-backs for shot-creating actions and the top 6% for progressive passes, than that of a direct threat.
Whether Newcastle succeed in a prospective bid remains to be seen, but such a blistering option would only enrich the talent at St. James's Park and take the club a step closer to success.