With Kieran Trippier's days at Newcastle United seemingly numbered it makes sense that the club are shopping around for a new long-term solution on the right side of the defence.
Tino Livramento is still in the process of nailing down the starting berth at right-back but with Trippier still at the club he's not getting it all his own way.
However, the reports suggesting that Trippier is wanting an exit from Newcastle still linger so we may yet see some movement in January or at least in the summer.
Emil Krafth and Harrison Ashby remain on the books too so the need for another first-team-ready right-back isn't a pressing issue, which is why it appears the club are looking more to the future than the here and now.
It was reported recently by inews that Newcastle were keeping a close eye on Chelsea's 18-year-old Josh Acheampong as a potential new recruit.
Newcastle could face competition from Real Madrid if they were to make a move for Acheampong which is about as good of a stamp of approval as a player can get.
While Chelsea want to keep Acheampong they are playing hardball with the youngster.
The Athletic are reporting that they have told Acheampong that he will not play for the first team or the Under 21s until he signs a new deal with his current contract set to expire in 2026.
Acheampong broke into the first team last season under Mauricio Pochettino making a five minute cameo in a 2-0 win over Tottenham. He's already made an appearance in the Carabao Cup for Chelsea this season but those remain his only first-team outings.
Now we just have to see if Chelsea's hardball tactic works and he signs a new deal or whether it forces him to look elsewhere with Newcastle a potential destination.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
12 | 16 | 31 |
2 |
Manchester City
|
12 | 5 | 23 |
3 |
Chelsea
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
4 |
Arsenal
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
5 |
Brighton
|
12 | 5 | 22 |
6 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
12 | 14 | 19 |
7 |
Nottingham Forest
|
12 | 2 | 19 |
8 |
Aston Villa
|
12 | 0 | 19 |
9 |
Fulham
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
10 |
Newcastle United
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
11 |
Brentford
|
12 | 0 | 17 |
12 |
Manchester United
|
12 | 0 | 16 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
12 | -1 | 15 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
12 | -4 | 15 |
15 |
Everton
|
12 | -7 | 11 |
16 |
Leicester
|
12 | -8 | 10 |
17 |
Wolves
|
12 | -8 | 9 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
12 | -10 | 9 |
19 |
Crystal Palace
|
12 | -7 | 8 |
20 |
Southampton
|
12 | -15 | 4 |