Newcastle United face competition to land Bristol City left-back Joe Byran as three German clubs have entered the chase for his signature, according to the Daily Star.
The newspaper reports on its website that the Magpies now face fierce competition from RB Leipzig, Augsburg and Mainz to land the left-footer, and the 24-year-old is understood to prefer a move to a club in the Bundesliga, with “super-rich” RB Leipzig his number one choice.
Bryan is about to enter the last year of his contract with Bristol City, and will be able to talk to other clubs who have him on their radar about a potential free transfer come January 2019.
This comes after the Sun’s transfer expert Alan Nixon had said that Newcastle were “serious” about landing Bryan.
OPINION
This news of competition from these three clubs is bound to be a bitter blow for Newcastle and boss Rafa Benitez. Bryan now prefers a move to RB Leipzig over his other suitors, and it is easy to see why seeming as the club are super-rich. He does not look like he will be moving to Newcastle any time soon, so it is time for Benitez to look elsewhere for a top-quality left-back. His string of impressive performances for Bristol City have deservedly warranted interest from the hosts of clubs after his services, but it is a shame he is preferring a move to Germany rather than staying in England. The Toon would have been the perfect destination for him to show what he can do at a higher level, and just the signing they were after to bolster their depleted squad. For now, Benitez will have to admit defeat and move on to somebody else.
