Newcastle United are reportedly closing in on the £25m signing of Atletico Madrid defender Kieran Trippier.

During the summer transfer window, it was widely speculated that Trippier was keen to return to England, rather than extend his Atletico contract past the end of this season.

However, the La Liga champions made the decision to reject all bids for the England international, and it has left them in a position where offers will inevitably be made for the right-back in January.

Nevertheless, according to talkSPORT, the 31-year-old will almost certainly be making the switch to St James' Park.

Despite the North-East outfit three points adrift from safety in the Premier League table, the report claims that a deal is "almost as good as done".

Atletico are also not in a position where they can reject a bid of that size for a player who has no interest in extending his time in Spain. body check tags ::