Matt Targett: Aston Villa left-back completes medical ahead of permanent Newcastle move

Matt Targett completed a medical on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of a permanent move to Newcastle, Sky Sports News understands.

Targett enjoyed a hugely successful loan spell on Tyneside last season where he impressed Eddie Howe and the club’s new owners.

The 26-year-old played every minute of the 16 Premier League matches he played after joining on January 31, helping to steer the club away from the relegation picture and finish 11th, with five clean sheets kept along the way.

Newcastle have a deal in place to make the move permanent for £15m, which includes £3m loan fee for last season, and are expected to do so in the coming days.

Following the Magpies’ 2-0 win over Arsenal on May 16, the former England U21 international appeared to express his interest in joining the club on a permanent, when he spoke to NUTV.

He said: “I think everyone knows what I want, but it’s up to the club. It’s a massive project, an exciting project, and I’m sure everyone wants to be a part of it.

“I’ve loved every single minute of my time here. It’s been an incredible place to play my football. I’ve loved every second of it.”

What should Newcastle do this summer?
Sky Sports’ Laura Hunter:

Not the “revolution people expect”, according to Eddie Howe. Hardly a glowing review of Newcastle’s prospective transfer policy this summer, however pragmatic.

Financial Fair Play (FFP) will prohibit Newcastle from lavishly splurging in the upcoming window, despite now being one of the richest clubs in world football. They spent in excess of £90m in January alone.

It’s clear that a goalkeeper is top of the wishlist, with good options in either Man Utd’s Dean Henderson or Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga. There is also some dispute over attacking options – with Chris Wood yet to find his scoring boots and Callum Wilson finding both form and fitness hard to come by.

Rebuilding the squad over time and developing existing talent, as well as a couple of astute additions should provide Newcastle with enough leverage to compete at the right end of the table. Certainly nothing less than top half would be proportionate to the expenditure next season. Howe’s emphasis on “smart moves” over a reckless spending spree should serve the club well in the long term, though.

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