An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United's pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen defender Mitchel Bakker...
What's the talk?
According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies have now made a bid of £14.5m for the left-back as they look to make him their third signing of the month following on from Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood.
The report claims that the player is interested in playing in the Premier League and that the Bundesliga club are open to doing a deal.
Fans rocking
Newcastle could get fans rocking with a deal to sign Bakker as their third signing of the month because of the quality he could provide, and also what his arrival could mean for a current member of the squad.
Matt Ritchie has been disappointing for the Magpies in the past 18 months and has not been able to consistently deliver reliable performances in the top flight. He averaged an unimpressive WhoScored rating of 6.64 last term and is averaging a lowly score of 6.43 for the current campaign, highlighting his struggles at left-back.
Therefore, the Toon Army will surely be eager to see an upgrade arrive in that area of the pitch, and Bakker could provide just that. The 21-year-old has averaged a score of 7.14 in the Europa League for Leverkusen and averaged a score of 6.83 in 26 Ligue 1 games for PSG last term, showing that he does have the quality to be a solid operator at the top level week in, week out.
This suggests that he could improve Eddie Howe's team as he has been able to perform to a higher standard than Ritchie since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, whilst playing for top European clubs. He has shown that he can perform under the pressure of being at an elite club, while he also has the potential to improve even further at the age of 21.
Leverkusen head coach Gerardo Seoane heaped praise on the Dutchman last August, saying: "You could see his power and determination. Mitchel still has to improve but that will come with experience. You can't forget he's still a young player and new to the league. It always takes a bit of time."
Talent scout Jacek Kulig previously dubbed the defender "tenacious" and “extremely dominant in the air". These comments, along with the quotes from Seoane, suggest that Bakker could be a player that Newcastle fans love to watch as he gets himself stuck in and works hard defensively to win his individual duels.
Therefore, the 21-year-old could get fans rocking by making big challenges and putting in 100% for his team in the Premier League every week, which is why Newcastle must try to get this deal over the line.
AND in other news, "He is set to join Newcastle": Insider's early morning update will leave fans buzzing...