Summary

Southampton fullback Tino Livramento to Newcastle United is not a done deal, despite rumours emerging stating otherwise according to journalist Craig Hope

The fullback missed the majority of last season as he recovered from a long-term knee injury, but that hasn't driven the Magpies away.

What position is Livramento?

Livramento is regarded as one of the brightest young right-back talents in England, and his stock has grown exponentially since his switch to the South Coast from Chelsea.

Signed for a fee of £5m from the London club, Livramento enjoyed a fantastic start to life with the Saints, making 32 appearances as both a wing-back and a wide midfielder, where he scored one goal and assisted one goal. His early season form was so impressive it caught the eye of England national team boss Gareth Southgate, who when asked about right-back options for his squads stated: "Reece (James) and Trent (Alexander-Arnold) are performing at a really high level. I also think Tino Livramento, when talking about young players, has had an excellent start to the season."

Former teammate Theo Walcott was also full of praise for the youngster during that time, stating on talkSPORT that the former Chelsea youth product reminded the veteran of Gareth Bale; "Do you know what, he reminds me a little bit of Gareth Bale when he came through as a full-back. That's a big statement of course to compare him to someone like that but just feel like his presence and the way he drives and the pace and the power and it's no surprises that you know what he's going to do."

Livramento's strong first season at the Saints was cruelly cut short in late April however, when against Brighton and Hove Albion the full-back suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament that would ultimately sideline the English-man for 353 days, with the player making his long-awaited return in the clubs penultimate game of the season last campaign.

Despite the long injury lay-off, there is interest from Premier League clubs in signing the 20-year-old, with Eddie Howe's side reportedly closing in on acquiring the player's signature. However, talkSPORT reports that the £30m offer has been rejected, with Russell Martin's side holding out for a fee in the region of £50m due to their unwillingness to sell this summer despite relegation.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Hope revealed that his information on the deal was that it wasn't close to completion and that the Tyneside club were still "working on the deal": "Livramento from Southampton. I saw reports emerge on the way over here actually, I was getting a few messages saying there were claims that the deal was done, all agreed for a fee of £30m. Now that wasn’t my information, I must admit, all I’d had back was Newcastle are working on the deal and that hasn’t really changed since then"

Who will Livramento replace in the Newcastle team?

Livramento would face some really tough competition should he make the switch to Newcastle.

His most direct rival for a starting spot next season would be England international Kieran Trippier. The current Magpies captain enjoyed arguably the finest season of his career last season at the age of 32, scoring one and assisting seven en route to guiding the club back to the Champions League, resulting in the Englishman being nominated for the Premier League Player of the Season award. One of the first signings of the new regime, Trippier has been incredibly consistent since his £12m move from Spanish giants Atletico Madrid, and would be the obvious first-choice option for the side next season in the crucial games.

Opportunities could present themselves for Livramento next season should the Newcastle captain struggle with injury problems. Despite playing in every Premier League game last season, Trippier has struggled with minor injury problems in recent seasons, having missed 25 games with injury since 2020, and as he grows older, manager Howe could look to use the experienced defender more sparingly, opting only for Champions League clashes and matches with big significance in the Premier League. This could mean the former Chelsea man gets a number of opportunities to show his quality as well as becoming the clear succession plan for when Trippier does leave, with the former Tottenham Hotspur full-back's contract up in the summer of 2025