Newcastle United are likely to make Matt Targett one of their first summer transfers, as the on-loan Aston Villa defender and his agent remain keen on completing a permanent switch.
That’s according to Birmingham Live, who note Targett and his representatives hope to seal a full-time move after a strong start at St James’ Park. The Toon are yet to lose a Premier League match in which the 26-year-old has featured, taking three wins and a draw so far.
Eddie Howe loaned the full-back in January to strengthen the Magpies’ backline, which had struggled to shut opposition sides out all season. At the time of Targett’s deadline day deal, only Norwich City (45) had conceded more goals than United (43) in one additional fixture.
But Newcastle have enjoyed a significant turnaround over the past month after welcoming Targett on board in a mid-season transfer. Only Chelsea (0) and Liverpool (1) have shipped fewer goals than the Toon (3) have in five games, including without Targett against Villa.
Howe stretching the Magpies’ unbeaten top-flight run to eight games, seven wins, has also put distance to the drop zone. They now sit in 14th with a seven-point gap to the relegation places. The North East side also have a superior goal difference to four sides beneath them.
United were 19th after their last loss on December 19, having also played more games than those around them. Burnley in 18th had played three games less and Watford in 17th held two games in hand. Yet they are now 18th and 19th, with the Hornets playing once more.
Aston Villa loanee Matt Targett and agent keen on permanent Newcastle transfer
Targett was cast aside at Aston Villa before joining Newcastle on loan, following the Villans’ £25m transfer for Lucas Digne. But he is relishing a new lease of life at St James’ and hopes to remain on Tyneside beyond his half-season spell with a permanent switch this summer.
Howe has also loved what Targett brought to the North East as an upgrade on Jamal Lewis and Matt Ritchie. The Toon boss has not looked back on loaning the full-back he expected to be a ‘fantastic’ addition, with Targett’s only absence due to being ineligible against Villa.
Now, Targett and his agent hope Newcastle look to strike a permanent transfer with Aston Villa in the summer. The Villans would want to make a profit on the £14m they paid for the former England U21 dynamo when he moved to Birmingham from Southampton in 2019.
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