Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer is confident that Newcastle will sign Kieran Trippier in January.
The former Tottenham right-back, capped 35 times by England, has been strongly linked with the St James' Park outfit ahead of next month's transfer window.
And Palmer reckons that Trippier's move to Newcastle will go through, purely because the Atletico Madrid defender is desperate to play in the Premier League again.
How close are Newcastle to signing Trippier?
Newcastle have been interested in signing Trippier for some time, and according to the Telegraph, Eddie Howe appears on the verge of reuniting with the 30-year-old following their time together at Burnley.
The report believes that the Magpies could have Trippier signed up in the early days of the transfer window, which opens on Saturday.
However, whilst the deal is thought to be at an advanced stage, there is still work to do before the right-back can be officially announced as a Newcastle player and the first signing of the new era.
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But Palmer is convinced that the transfer will get completed because Trippier wants to come back to the Premier League desperately, two-and-a-half years after swapping England for Spain.
Last summer, he was linked with both Manchester United and Arsenal, but a deal never materialised, and he ended up staying at Atletico for a third season in La Liga.
What did Palmer say about Trippier?
He told GIVEMESPORT: "I know they're heavily linked with Trippier, and I think he will go there. And the reason being is because Trippier wants to return to the Premier League."
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How big of a statement would be signing Trippier?
Newcastle need far more than a right-back in January if they want to improve their chances of staying in the Premier League. But make no mistake about it, bringing Trippier to St James' Park would be a major coup from the hierarchy.
Not only is Trippier an extremely talented full-back with plenty of top-flight experience, but in recent seasons he's established himself as a regular for two top European clubs in Tottenham and Atletico, whilst winning 35 caps for his country.
During that period, Trippier has played 30 times in the Champions League, including the final in 2019, and started the European Championship final defeat to Italy. He might have been on the wrong side in each of those finals, but he finally got his hands on silverware by winning La Liga with Atletico in 2020-2021.