Newcastle 'fully expected' to reach St. James' Park agreement over £15.3m star

Newcastle are expected to sign Matt Targett on a permanent basis this summer, according to Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie.

The £15.3m-rated left-back is spending the second half of the season on loan with the St James’ Park outfit, but the Magpies have already agreed a deal in principle ahead of the summer window.

According to the Chronicle Live, the Aston Villa loanee is expected to become Newcastle’s first signing of the summer for a fee of around £15m, with the left-back surplus to requirements under Steven Gerrard following Lucas Digne’s January arrival.

Since making the loan switch from the Villa Park side, Targett has played every Premier League minute that he’s been available for, with the game against his parent club the exception.

And Targett has settled into life in the North East impressively, making the left-back spot his own, with his WhoScored rating the fifth-best in the Magpies squad.

As a result, Downie expects the 26-year-old to become a permanent Newcastle player this summer despite Football League World reporting that Fulham are also keen on re-signing the defender.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I think the priority is to get Matt Targett in. I think they’re trying to juggle, but they’ve got an option in the Targett deal, so I fully expect that to be done.”

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With Jamal Lewis excluded from the Newcastle squad for the second half of the season, which makes a summer exit likely, Eddie Howe is going to need to sign a left-back in the next window.

But Targett isn’t the only name that Newcastle are looking at. According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Howe is keen on signing 19-year-old Scotland ace Aaron Hickey, who’s currently playing his