Newcastle hope to announce Trippier signing Friday

Newcastle are hoping to confirm the £12m signing of Atletico Madrid defender Kieran Trippier on Friday.

Trippier arrived in the North East to complete the final steps of his move on Wednesday and underwent a medical ahead of signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with the option of a further year.

Newcastle and Atletico agreed a deal on Tuesday that will see the Premier League club pay £12m plus add-ons to make the 31-year-old the first signing under the Saudi Arabia-backed ownership.

Atletico hoped Trippier would stay, but the defender made it clear he wanted to return to England.

Magpies boss Eddie Howe worked with Trippier while in charge of Burnley, signing him from Manchester City in January 2012 after an impressive loan spell at Turf Moor.

Newcastle’s owners hope to recruit at least three more players this month as they look to keep the club in the Premier League. They are currently second-bottom in the table and lie two points from safety.

Newcastle are interested in making Todd Cantwell one of those new signings, with a bid of between £15-20m understood to be needed to persuade Norwich to sell the midfielder.

READ ALSO Newcastle make formal bid for Kieran Trippier

Cantwell’s Norwich contract expires at the end of the season, but the Canaries have the option to extend the deal by a further year.

If Newcastle are able to bring him to St James’ Park, Trippier will add leadership, experience and quality to the backline.