Sunday, April 4, 2021 at 13:32• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 13:34

Jetro Willems may return to the Premier League. The fullback is one of the top candidates to strengthen Newcastle United next summer, he assures The Chronicle. It would mean his second term for Willems at Newcastle, after he was hired by the current number seventeen of the Premier League last season. At the time, however, his share was limited due to a serious cruciate ligament injury. Andros Townsend is another key target for Newcastle.

Willems is under contract with Eintracht Frankfurt, but does not enjoy the confidence of trainer Adi Hütter. This season, partly due to injuries, he did not even play in the Bundesliga at all. Last season he was also not assured of a starting place, after which Frankfurt decided to rent the Dutchman to Newcastle for a year. The former PSV player had a great first half of the season, but was seriously injured in the home game against Chelsea in January last year. Due to his injury, the 22-time international did not play a minute anymore and returned to Frankfurt last summer.

Willems managed to leave a good impression in the matches he did play and scored two goals in nineteen appearances in England. Newcastle focuses on players who are out of their contract next summer, including Willems. The club, like many other clubs, is experiencing severe financial problems as a result of the corona pandemic. Relegation to the Championship will have catastrophic consequences The Magpies, because the club has no clause in the contracts of the high earners in the event of a drop to the second level. At the moment, Newcastle is two points above the relegation line as number seventeen. The bottom three teams are relegated directly.

In addition to Willems, Townsend is also high on Newcastle’s wish list. Townsend was under contract with Tottenham between 2009 and 2016 before signing a five and a half year contract with Newcastle in January 2016. The midfielder left his mark, scoring four goals in thirteen games under Steve McClaren and Rafael Benítez. Half a year and a relegation from the Premier League later, however, he switched to Crystal Palace, which paid fifteen million euros for him. Townsand is currently in its fifth season at Palace.