Newcastle United have set their sights on Blackburn Rovers’ 17-year-old tough-tackling left-back Jake Batty, who recently penned his professional contract with the Championship outfit.
Blackburn Rovers’ 17-year-old defensive sensation, Jake Batty, is the subject of interest from cash-rich Premier League club, Newcastle United. That’s according to a report from LancsLive, who say that the Magpies have been tracking the super-talented left-back.
A tenacious tough-tackling, energetic full-back with decent crossing attributes in his repertoire, the 17-year-old is the latest talent to emerge out of Blackburn Rovers’ academy ranks with a bright future and has already impressed at Under-23s level for the club, producing a string of solid displays at that level.
The teenager recently made his senior debut earlier this month, coming off the bench in the second half of their 4-0 Carabao Cup first-round victory over Hartlepool. He has also represented England at the Under-17 level and is highly regarded at the club, and was recently rewarded with his first professional contract by Rovers.
His new contract will keep him at Ewood Park until the summer of 2025, and it ultimately came after Premier League links. As per the above report, both Leeds and Newcastle have recently expressed interest in the left-back, forcing the Riversiders to tie him down to a new long-term deal in order to fend off outside interest.
Ever since Dan Ashworth’s arrival as director of football after leaving the same position at Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle have been paying special focus to their recruitment at the youth level and have brought in some extremely talented young prospects in recent transfer windows.
The club’s academy ranks have been boosted by the summer arrivals of Jude Smith, Alex Murphy, Jordan Hackett, Charlie McArthur, and most recently, Amadou Diallo, with Newcastle planning for the future.
Jake Batty is one to keep an eye on for Newcastle United in the future. Despite his tender years, he has managed to show a great deal of promise to make the progress and development he has made at the youth level, indicating he could be an option for the future.
Obviously, given his age and the fact that he has only recently signed a new contract with Blackburn, it appears unlikely that Newcastle will act on this in the upcoming window. However, they can keep monitoring his progress and how he handles the step up to senior football and the Championship before making a decision.
