Newcastle United now negotiating to buy Mitchel Bakker – Report | OneFootball

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The Mag

·19 January 2022

Newcastle United now negotiating to buy Mitchel Bakker – Report

Article image:Newcastle United now negotiating to buy Mitchel Bakker – Report

Newcastle United are in talks to buy Mitchel Bakker, according to a new transfer update on Wednesday morning.

Whilst fans are desperate to see more new faces in as quickly as possible and indeed some Newcastle fans seeing it as relative failure to ‘only’ spend £37m and bring in Trippier and Wood, it does seem clear that the Newcastle United owners are working frantically to try and land further targets this month.


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This new report is from The Mail, who say Newcastle United are now negotiating with Bayer Leverkusen to try and sign Mitchel Bakker.

The Dutch left-sided defender moved to PSG from Ajax just after turning 19 in June 2019 and after a first season settling in, became a regular at the age of 20 playing alongside the likes of Neymar and Mbappe.

However, when Mauricio Pochettino took over as manager in January 2021, it all changed for Mitchel Bakker. After starting 14 of the first 19 Ligue 1 matches in the 2020/21 season, he only started four of the last 19 after Pochettino came in. However, he did continue to feature regularly in the Champions League, mainly as a sub, that season making 10 CL appearances, with three as a starter and seven off the bench.

To get regular football, a now 21 year old Mitchel Bakker joined Bayer Leverkusen in July 2021, with around £6m up front, plus add-ons. Potentially including a sell-on clause…

Described as a ‘modern full-back, Mitchel Bakker is over 6ft tall and said to be ‘built like a centre-back’, Bakker a regular for the Holland Under 21 side.

The Mail saying that Newcastle United are now in talks to land the Ajax Academy product, hoping to tempt Bayer Leverkusen with a quick profit after only signing him six months ago.

With his height, build and pace / athleticism, you’d imagine Mitchel Bakker would be able to play in a number of positions, with players produced on the continent, especially at a club like Ajax, tending to be a lot more versatile than their English counterparts.

Mitchel Bakker became first choice for Bayer Leverkusen on his arrival in the summer until breaking his ankle at the end of October 2021. Returning and coming off the bench in their last game before Christmas, Mitchel Bakker now back to full fitness after the winter break in Germany, starting Leverkusen’s last two league matches in the last 11 days.

Newcastle’s defensive woes continued on Saturday against Watford and if indeed there is serious interest in landing Mitchel Bakker, he looks a more than credible target. Paul Dummett made a decent return on Saturday but is very injury prone and regardless of what the Geordie defender can or can’t give Newcastle this season, it is clear that overall there is a desperate need for better quality across the defensive line.

Kieran Trippier has been a great start, whilst a deal for central defender Diego Carlos is widely reported to be imminent (hopefully!), bringing in somebody like Mitchel Bakker as well as that duo, would suddenly start to give this Newcastle defence a very different look.

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