Newcastle Line Up Mathijsen

Dutch defender Joris Mathijsen is wanted by a number of Premier League clubs with Newcastle, Blackburn and Sunderland all reportedly interested in signing the centre back.

Jul 6, 2008 11:23:49 AM

Bundesliga: Joris Mathijsen, Netherlands, Hamburger SV (AFP)

Teams

Mathijsen, a Dutch international, currently plays for Bundesliga side Hamburg and is thought to be valued at around £10 million.

The defender featured prominently at Euro 2008, playing in both the group games against Italy and France and also the quarter final defeat to Russia, which saw Holland eliminated from the tournament.

The News of the World states that new Blackburn Rovers boss Paul Ince is eyeing up the defender but that he faces stiff competition from North East rivals Sunderland and Newcastle.

Newcastle would appear to be favourites to sign the 28 year old and their defensive frailties have been well documented in recent seasons.

However, centre back Steven Taylor has pledged his future to the club earlier this week by signing a new contract and Kevin Keegan obviously sees Mathijsen as the perfect partner for the captain of the England Under 21 side.

Newcastle have also tried Claudio Cacapa and Abdoulaye Faye in the centre of defence last season but neither have particularly made their position their own and manager Keegan will be looking for an improvement as he seeks to build on last season’s 12th place finish.

Gill Clark