“I was told yesterday…”: Journalist claims 29-year-old could leave Newcastle now

Newcastle United defender Matt Targett has been linked with a move away from the club this month.

According to Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie, the 29-year-old could be on his way out of the club before the January window closes. Apparently, there have been talks with Leeds United regarding a potential move.

Leeds United defender Junior Firpo has been linked with a move to Real Sociedad and the Championship outfit could look to replace him with the 29-year-old Newcastle defender.

Downie said: “I expect Matt Targett to go. I’ve not put this out anywhere yet, but I was told yesterday that there had been some talks with Leeds but Leeds are waiting to hear what is happening with their left-back, Junior Firpo.

“There’s some interest from Real Sociedad there, so if Firpo was to go, Targett could be an option there, but, as it stands, Firpo is still a Leeds player. I’ve also been told that there’s interest from Southampton and Watford in Targett, while I was told previously a couple of weeks ago that Leicester were interested as well.”

Targett has struggled for regular game time at the Premier League club, and he could be attracted to the idea of joining Leeds. He will look to play regularly at this stage of his career and moving to the Championship would not be a bad option for him.

Leeds could use Matt Targett

The 29-year-old has shown his quality in the Premier League over the years, and he is certainly good enough for the Championship. He could help Leeds tighten up defensively. The Whites are pushing for promotion to the Premier League and signing the right players this month could prove to be a wise decision.

Firpo has been quite underwhelming for the English club and the 29-year-old Newcastle defender could prove to be an upgrade on him. It will be interesting to see if Leeds can get the deal done.

Meanwhile, the defender is thought to be on the radar of Southampton, Leicester City and Watford as well.