Newcastle eyeing January move for Ben Mee

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Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing a January move for Burnley defender Ben Mee.

The Sun have claimed the Magpies are looking to bolster their defence, and Mee is a player Eddie Howe wants.

Mee, 32, has been a tremendous servant for Burnley over the years.

He joined the Clarets back in January 2012 after an initial loan from Manchester City, and has gone on to make a whopping 364 appearances for the club to date.

The person managing Burnley when he made that move? None other than Howe, of course.

His contributions to the club have been huge, from aiding the club to achieve promotion to the Premier League in 2014, to helping the Clarets remain in the big time ever since.

Mee’s contract with Burnley expires next summer, meaning they do have a decision to make coming into January.

They will not want to lose him ahead of a potential relegation battle. They certainly won’t want him joining a potential relegation rival in Newcastle, who have also been linked with Mee’s Burnley teammate James Tarkowski.

But they probably also don’t want to lose him for free.

Money may well talk, and Newcastle certainly have a lot of that now.

Ben Mee would be a brilliant signing for Newcastle amid claims of Toon interest

He might be getting on a bit, but Ben Mee would make a wonderful addition for Newcastle.

He is truly a capable, durable Premier League defender, who obviously has lots of experience battling relegation with Burnley. To date, Mee has made 206 appearances in the top-flight.

The fact he has worked with Howe before is appealing, and he is a leader being the captain at Turf Moor. And Newcastle could really do with a few of those. He’s also left-footed which is a bonus.

Sean Dyche certainly loves him. The Burnley boss said of him last year: “He has become a very strong player for us and a good captain.

“This sounds like not strong enough praise but I can assure you it is. He is a very solid campaigner, week in, week out. He is always there for you and delivers and that is a big compliment.

“He is consistent, his values are consistent, a tough-minded fella and a very fair-minded fella and a lot of those qualities don’t just happen off the pitch, they go on the pitch with him.”

Frankly, this is exactly the kind of signing Newcastle need to be making at this moment in time.