According to reports, Newcastle United are closing in on a deal to sign Bayer Leverkusen left-back Mitchel Bakker in the January transfer window. The deal is set to be around £16.8 million. Newcastle United have already signed Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid and Chris Wood from Burnley.
Mitchel Bakker is a former PSG player and only moved to the Bundesliga outfit this summer. The left-back made a total of 45 appearances for the French giants before his move last summer. The 21-year-old has made 16 appearances in all competitions this term. In this time he has registered an impressive one goal and three assists. (stats via Transfermarkt)
While Newcastle United are still in the thick of the relegation battle. The club are currently 18th in the Premier League table, having picked up 15 points from 21 league games. Eddie Howe is on the lookout to add new faces to the team to help the club survive the drop this term. The Magpies did pick up important three points in their last Premier League game as they beat Leeds United 1-0.
Reports on Monday suggested that the talks between the clubs had broken down and the switch looked unlikely. But Tuttomercatoweb have now reported that Newcastle United are just one step away from landing the left-back.
Can Mitchel Bakker be the reason for Newcastle United’s survival this term?
The Magpies have one of the worst defensive records in the Premier League. They have conceded a total of 43 goals in 21 league games. Therefore Eddie Howe is keen to add defensive reinforcement to the team. The club have already signed Kieran Trippier and are on the verge of signing Bakker. But Eddie Howe is still keen to sign a new centre-half in the January window.
Newcastle’s current list of left-backs includes Jamal Lewis and Matt Ritchie. Mitchel Bakker looks to be a big upgrade on both of those players and he is still just 21-year-old and could hold that position for years to come.
The left-back has averaged 1.3 tackles, 1 interception, 1.5 clearances per game in the Bundesliga this term. On top of that going forward he has averaged 1.5 dribbles and 0.5 key passes per game in the league. He has also maintained a pass accuracy of 80.7% in the league this term. (stats via Whoscored) Mitchel Bakker looks to be a great signing on paper and could turn out to be the difference between relegation and survival at the end of the season.
If the deal goes through Bayer Leverkusen look set to make a big profit on the £8.5 million they paid to PSG in the summer.
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