Jose Mourinho aims to sign second Newcastle favourite as Magpies face nine-day battle to retain £12m ace

The 2024 summer window has officially closed in England but one transfer saga that continues to rumble on in the background at St James’ Park is the future of right-back Kieran Trippier.

The 33-year-old is currently in the final season of his Newcastle United contract, and has reportedly expressed a desire to leave this summer after two and half years in the North East. Trippier is believed to be the subject of interest from three Turkish clubs, who all still have a further nine days to do business before their window closes on Friday 13 September.

Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce are believed to be the frontrunners for the defender’s signature, but the likes of Besiktas and Eyupsor are also believed to be showing interest, according to reports from TalkSport.

Trippier is yet to start any of Newcastle’s three opening Premier League games this season, with Eddie Howe’s preferring Tino Livramento in the starting role for matches against Southampton, Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur.

The veteran’s only start of the season so far came in the Carabao Cup victory against Nottingham Forest, where he was ultimately substituted off the pitch after 62 minutes. Howe’s decision to hand the club captaincy over to midfielder Bruno Guimaraes has only added further fuel to speculation of Trippier’s departure. The former Atletico Madrid defender has acted as Newcastle’s on the pitch captain for most of the last two seasons and the move suggests that Howe could be potentially planning for life without the experienced defender.

Trippier arrived at Newcastle in January 2022 and has been described as a driving factor behind the club’s upwards trajectory from bottom of the table to Champions League qualification in just 18 months. 

The England defender in 2022/23 and was even included in the PFA Team of the Season. However, his performances came under the spotlight last season as he made notable errors against the likes of Chelsea and Everton in December. He missed a huge chunk of the end of the season, with injury and has so far struggled to rediscover his best form.

Mourinho has already added one familiar face to Trippier in Allan Saint-Maximin to his squad and could look to repeat the trick by signing another Newcastle fan favourite in the final days of the window as he aims to guide the team to a first league title in 11 seasons.

Howe has previously stated that Trippier is a key part of his plans and in his most recent press conference, told reporters: “Absolutely, I want Trippier here. That hasn’t changed, and that won’t change.”