Newcastle United have reportedly taken Everton defender Josef Yarney on trial.
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez
According to The Chronicle, Newcastle United have taken Everton defender Josef Yarney on trial until the end of the season, as they weigh up a possible contract offer.
The Magpies can seal promotion with a win over Preston North End on Monday evening, and many fans will immediately turn their attention to possible summer transfer targets.
Whilst some big names will almost certainly be linked with Newcastle this summer, the club did show that they wanted to bring in players for their development squad last summer, adding Stuart Findlay and Yasin Ben El-Mhanni.
Now, The Chronicle report that Newcastle are looking to strike a similar deal, having taken Everton teenager Josef Yarney on trial until the end of the season.
Yarney, 19, was born in Liverpool and has come up through the ranks with Everton, but he has yet to make a first-team appearance, with his games this season coming in the Under-23 side in the EFL Trophy, and in the PL2.
The centre back is out of contract this summer, meaning that he could move on for nothing unless Everton offer him a new deal, which looks unlikely after they allowed him to join Newcastle on loan until the end of the season.
General view inside Goodison Park
It’s stated that Yarney came on as a substitute for Newcastle Under-23’s in their 2-0 win over Middlesbrough on Friday evening, with the Magpies taking a close look at the young defender.
Should Yarney win a permanent deal, he would almost certainly go into the Magpies’ development squad rather than be a first-team player in the Premier League, but it would give him another opportunity to impress with a big club having seemingly come to the end of his time with Everton.
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