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Senior Writer, ESPN FC- James Olley is a senior soccer writer for ESPN.com. Read his archive here and follow him on Twitter: @JamesOlley.
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Senior Writer- • Joined ESPN in 2011
• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours
• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018
Bayern Munich are interested in signing Newcastle's Kieran Trippier should they fail to agree a deal for Paris Saint-Germain defender Nordi Mukiele, sources have told ESPN.
Trippier is one of several alternatives Bayern are considering as manager Thomas Tuchel remains keen on signing a right-back this month after missing out on Manchester City defender Kyle Walker last summer.
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The Bundesliga giants want to sign Mukiele on loan with an option to buy the 26-year-old but PSG would prefer a straight transfer this month so they can reinvest the money.
Sources have told ESPN that Bayern are making contingency plans and have identified that Trippier only has 18 months left on his Newcastle deal.
However, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe would be reluctant to lose the 33-year-old defender, who has formed a key part of transformative spell in charge in which they qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
A source in Germany added that Trippier is one of several alternatives but Bayern remain hopeful of reaching an agreement with PSG for Mukiele.
The 33-year-old joined Newcastle in January 2022 and was named as the club's player of the year after the end of his full first season at the club in 2022-23.
However, Trippier has struggled for form in this campaign, making costly mistakes in defeats to Everton and former club Tottenham in December.
If Trippier were to make the move to Munich, he would become the third former Spurs player signed by the German club in the last five months, following the arrivals of Eric Dier on Jan. 11 and Harry Kane in August 2023.
