Newcastle emerge as the only club interested in signing Burnley’s James Tarkowski this month

Newcastle ‘have a clear run at Burnley defender James Tarkowski this month but they will need to make a sizeable offer to land him’, with the Clarets still angry about losing Chris Wood to their relegation rivals earlier this month

  • Newcastle want to bring Burnley’s James Tarkowski to St James’ Park this month
  • They are believed to be the only club interested in securing his services 
  • Burnley are willing to listen to offers as his contract is set to expire in June
  • However, they are still frustrated about losing Chris Wood to Newcastle 
  • This could leave them reluctant to lose another of their key players to their rivals 


Newcastle are in pole position to sign Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski, according to reports.

The 29-year-old is into the final six months of his contract at Turf Moor, meaning that the Clarets could risk losing him for nothing if they don’t move him on in the current transfer window.

The Premier League outfit are prepared to listen to offers for Tarkowski, and Newcastle look well-placed to land him, with West Ham now looking for alternative options while Leicester want to bring in a player on a short-term loan deal instead, as reported by The Sun

James Tarkowski is wanted by Newcastle but Burnley may be reluctant to sell him to their rivals

However, it may take a sizeable offer from the Magpies to convince Burnley to part ways with Tarkowski, given that they have already signed Chris Wood from the Lancashire-based club this month.

Wood arrived on Tyneside earlier in January after Newcastle activated his £25million release clause, and Burnley were believed to be far from happy to sell the forward to one of their main rivals for relegation.

Therefore, offloading another one of their key players to Newcastle would be a cruel blow for Sean Dyche’s men to take, and they may want to avoid this scenario.

Burnley have already sold Chris Wood to Newcastle this month after his release clause was met

Burnley have already sold Chris Wood to Newcastle this month after his release clause was met

Eddie Howe appears keen to bolster his backline before the transfer window closes

Eddie Howe appears keen to bolster his backline before the transfer window closes 

Tarkowski has been a mainstay in Burnley’s backline since he joined the club in 2016, and has racked up 200 appearances for the team in this period.

He has worn the captain’s armband on multiple occasions this season, highlighting his influence at Burnley.

Newcastle moved four points clear of Burnley in the league table on Saturday as they edged past Leeds 1-0 at Elland Road thanks to a Jonjo Shelvey free-kick.

This was just their second clean sheet of the season, though, indicating that Eddie Howe’s squad could benefit from defensive reinforcements, like Tarkowski, in the remaining days of the transfer window.

Burnley return to action on Sunday when they travel to Arsenal, and this may be Tarkowski’s final game for the club if he agrees to move to St James’ Park before Dyche’s side play again on February 5 against Watford.

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