England star reveals failed Manchester United transfer ahead of £12m Newcastle United move

Trippier became Newcastle United’s first signing following the takeover of the club when he joined from Atletico Madrid for £12m in January 2022. The former Spurs man had spent two-and-a-half years in Spain following his move from north London, before returning to the Premier League to help Newcastle United avoid relegation to the Championship.

Speaking to Gary Neville on the Overlap, Trippier revealed why he made the decision to leave Madrid and return to England. He said: “When I was in Madrid, the season before I left was a tough year for me for numerous reasons. I just wanted to come back to England. My family were finding it a bit difficult at the time.

“I could have stayed at Madrid, I could have signed a new three-year contract at Madrid. Simeone in the car park the day I was leaving didn’t want me to go. But it was the right thing to do at the right time for my family and as players you have to be realistic about where you can go. I wasn’t going to go and sign for [Manchester] City or Liverpool so I knew I was restricted to certain clubs.”

Trippier’s move to Newcastle United was a real statement of intent from the Magpies. Despite them sitting in the relegation zone heading into the January transfer window - and with just one league win to their name to that point - it would prove to be a transformational transfer window with the signings of Trippier, Dan Burn, Chris Wood, Matt Targett and Bruno Guimaraes.#

Eddie Howe’s side would go on to steer well clear of the relegation zone before qualifying for the Champions League a season later. However, Trippier has revealed that things could have panned out very differently had Manchester United followed up on their interest in signing him during the summer of 2021.

The Red Devils, then under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, had just finished 2nd in the Premier League table and were heavily-linked with a move for Trippier - one the defender admits was ‘very close’ to completion: “[Manchester] United was straight after the Euros and that was very close.” Trippier said. 

“Obviously growing up being a red along with all my family, but it didn’t happen. Everything happens for a reason.

“It just fell away really. Ole was manager at the time and everything seemed perfect, I was absolutely chuffed because it’s Manchester United, the biggest club in the world. It didn’t happen and I was back at Madrid - which isn’t a bad place to go back to!

“Six months later I was at Newcastle. Everyone raised their eyebrows and claimed ‘he’s going for the money’, ‘he’s going for this [reason], but I’ve made it clear many times I took less money at Newcastle than I did at Madrid. I didn’t have a relegation clause, even the position we were in, I trusted the manager and that was a key factor in why I came.”