Newcastle United look to strike deal with Europa League club as £15m man set for St James' Park appearance

Targett joined Newcastle from Aston Villa for £15million in 2022 after a successful loan spell at St James’ Park. But the 29-year-old has been limited to just a handful of starts since.

Targett’s last start for the club came over 14 months ago against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup. The left-back picked up a hamstring injury in that game that ultimately led to an Achilles issue. His only appearance of 2024 and so far this season was off the bench against Villa at St James’ Park on Boxing Day.

Targett is out of contract in June 2026 and is a high-earner at the club considering his minimal game-time. Since his permanent arrival, Newcastle have since signed Lewis Hall and Lloyd Kelly, who are capable of playing at left-back. Dan Burn, Tino Livramento and Kieran Trippier have also been used in the position by Eddie Howe.

According to talkSPORT, Targett is attracting interest from Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt and Belgian Pro League club Anderlecht with the view to a potential loan move. Both clubs are currently competing in this season’s Europa League.

After an extended spell on the sidelines, Targett is looking for regular game-time and would be open to leaving Newcastle this month.

The Magpies also have Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules to contend with so selling Targett outright would make more financial sense. However, Targett could be in line for a rare start at St James’ Park on Sunday (3pm kick-off) as Newcastle face League Two side Bromley in the FA Cup third round.

After seven consecutive wins in less than four weeks naming a largely unchanged side, Howe is set to rotate his starting line-up significantly for Sunday’s match with Targett one of the players who could come in.

Newcastle’s transfer strategy is now led by sporting director Paul Mitchell, who has previously been critical of the club’s selling ability, or rather lack of it.

“When sustainability is real, you cannot keep spending and not selling any football players,” Mitchell said earlier this season. “The maths doesn't work.

"I think you look at the teams that have really heavily spent this summer, they've sold players at certain points in the last couple of years, that has helped fund their spends this year, we haven't in the last two-and-a-half years.

“They come in equal measure, you know, and that's the responsibility of the holistic club, from the head coach, who is very widely influencing all of these decisions, to myself in my responsibility as the sporting director, to the CEO, to the overarching business.”

Newcastle currently have a deal on the table for Martin Dubravka to leave the club and join Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab. Dubravka is 36 this month out of contract at the end of the season and not a guaranteed stater in the side once Nick Pope returns to fitness.

Agreeing a deal seems like a no-brainer from a PSR perspective but Newcastle’s impressive form with Dubravka in the side paired with Howe’s desire to keep the goalkeeper and tie him down to a new contract has delayed the potential move.

Newcastle have won all seven matches Dubravka has played this season with the Slovakian keeping five clean sheets. A deal is understood to be likely to happen unless Newcastle are able to give guarantees to the goalkeeper, which would include a new contract.