An update has emerged on Newcastle United's pursuit of Atletico Madrid right-back Kieran Trippier...

What's the talk?

According to Football Insider, the Magpies are confident of completing a deal for the full-back from the Spanish giants in January as they look set to complete their first bit of business under the stewardship of PIF.

The report claims that the defender is interested in making the move as he wants to return to England and the prospect of a relegation battle has not deterred him.

These claims were backed up by talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook who said on Twitter: "#NUFC closing in on a deal for #ENG defender Kieran Trippier."

Elation

Newcastle fans will surely be delighted with this news as Trippier could be a fantastic signing for the club and provide a major lift to Eddie Howe's squad. He is proven in the Premier League and has shown, in England and Spain, that he can defend and attack to a high standard at the top level from full-back.

The £25m defender could be the first signing of the PIF era and his arrival would be a statement of intent from the Saudi-Arabian consortium

He caught the eye for Atletico in La Liga last season, averaging 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game and making 1.2 key passes per match. He also managed six assists from right-back in the league, showing that he has the ability to be creative whilst not giving up any of his defensive qualities.

England boss Gareth Southgate heaped praise on the defender earlier this year ahead of the European Championships. He said:

“He (Trippier) is a very underrated player. People are still looking at the player from a few years ago and not at the one who is at Atletico Madrid and playing like a warrior in the last few seasons. He is a big part of what we’ve done over the last few years and he gave a really good performance.”

In his final season for Tottenham in the Premier League, he averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.10 as he made 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game. This shows that he has the quality required to perform consistently in the English top-flight, which means that he could come in and hit the ground running at St. James' Park.

Therefore, PIF's first signing should leave fans delighted as they would be kickstarting their era with a proven, top-class, defender who could come in and make an instant impact on the side with his high-quality displays at full-back.

AND in other news, Forget Joelinton: "Complete" £70k-p/w Newcastle gem has been revived under Howe...