DeAndre Yedlin to Galatasaray seems to be close to completion, as the USMNT right back is heading to Turkey.
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Yedlin, 27, has fallen down the pecking order at Newcastle in recent months and is out of contract this summer.
Reports have suggested that Yedlin had been working on extending his work-permit in the UK in recent weeks, but it appears he won’t need it.
Initial reports from Turkish outlet Asist Analiz said Galatasaray are set to announce the signing of Yedlin in the next few days with personal terms agreed.
Galatasaray have confirmed that they are in ‘official talks’ with Newcastle to sign Yedlin, while Newcastle boss Steve Bruce has confirmed that Yedlin is heading to play for the Turkish giants.
“Quite simply we’ve had three right-backs at the club now and I think DeAndre is suited to playing as a wing-back,” Bruce said. “It’s been no secret that we’ve tried to change to a back four for a little bit of a while now, so to have three right-backs... I’d like to wish DeAndre the very best of luck in Turkey. He’s certainly playing for a huge club in Galatasaray, so I wish him the best of luck. He’s a great pro and a great lad, and sometimes you have to make decisions to let one out.”
Is this a good move for Yedlin?
Well, with so much competition at right back for the USMNT he needs to play regularly. It is as simple as that.
Yedlin has been overtaken by Sergino Dest and Reggie Cannon, while Bryan Reynolds is close to joining Roma as the USMNT have a glut of options at right back.
Gregg Berhalter has used Yedlin sparingly so far, but that is mostly down to injuries and him not being a regular for Newcastle under Steve Bruce. He has played 62 times for the USMNT, but hasn’t featured since 2019.
He joined Tottenham from his hometown Seattle Sounders in 2015 and excelled while on loan at Sunderland and then joined Newcastle permanently in 2016.
Over the last five years he has made 114 appearances for Newcastle, scoring three goals, and he’s been a solid, reliable right back. Yedlin had his best spell for Newcastle under Rafael Benitez as he played a key role in their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
At times the defensive side of his game has been questioned but there’s no doubt he’s improved in that area and as recently as December he put in strong displays for Newcastle, as he shone when they drew with Liverpool at St James’ Park.