Monaco now eyeing key Newcastle United player who Eddie Howe loves - Sky Sports

Newcastle United may have to brace themselves for a bid for one of their most important players if Sky Sports' Keith Downie is to be believed.

It wasn't too long ago that we were fairly ambivalent over the idea of Kieran Trippier leaving the club. Off-pitch antics had become a major distraction for the retired England international, and his form suffered massively.

At the same time, there was plenty of speculation suggesting that the former Atletico Madrid star was eyeing a move away from Tyneside. Had it happened at the time, there likely wouldn't have been too many complaints.

However, while there are still some things following him around in his personal life that he could do with getting a handle on, his performances on the pitch have massively improved, and despite now being 34, he's still an important part of the Eddie Howe machine.

Monaco are now keen on Kieran Trippier

Sky Sports' Keith Downie, however, has now claimed that Ligue 1 side Monaco have Trippier in their sights and could be about to test Newcastle's resolve.

While we have Tino Livramento and Emil Krafth, and with Malick Thiaw incoming, who can also play at right-back, Trippier's leadership is a massive part of what has got Newcastle to where they are now.

Indeed, Trippier agreeing to join Newcastle when they were in a relegation battle was the first sign that times were changing at Newcastle, and without hm joining in January 2022, you could argue that the likes of Bruno Guimaraes wouldn't have joined, and thus Sven Botman, Sandro Tonai and Alexander Isak also wouldn't be here.

It's not so much about what Trippier does on the pitch

Tripps was back to his best during pre-season, even when those around him were struggling. He may not be a first-choice pick any more, but he's still got a big part to play.

On the flip side, this would likely be our last chance to recoup any sort of fee for the veteran full-back, so if it comes down to money, it may be hard to turn down.

We have the cover to allow him to leave, but do we have that stabilising influence behind the scenes to replace him?