Newcastle in for Feyenoord Captain?

It is highly likely that club captain Fabricio Coloccini will be allowed to leave the club come summer and the search for the likely replacement has already begun. The latest name rumored to be coming in is the Dutch international and Feyenoord club captain Stefan De Vrij.

De Vrij is currently plying his trade in Eredivisie with Feyenoord, the southwest club he joined as a 10 year old academy player. After having made the grade at the club’s academy, De Vrij signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2009 aged just 17. He made his first team debut in 2009 coming as a 58^th minute subsitute in the KNVB cup. Later that year De Vrij made his League debut as a substitute in a 3-1 victory over FC Groningen.

De Vrij is known for his pace which he has in abundance as well as being able to keep calm under the toughest of circumstances. Now 21, the 6’2 (1.88 m) Center back has represented Feyenoord 101 times and has gone to play for Holland 3 times, his debut coming in a recent 2-4 loss against Belgium.

As things stand De Vrij is contracted to Feyenoord till the summer of 2014 and has reportedly rejected the offer that the Rotterdam outfit have twice made. This means that that one of the most exciting defenders in Europe could be available for a cut price deal with only 12 months remaining on his contract; come the summer. It has also been reported that the Rotterdam giants will listen to the offers for one of their prized assets and he could be available for a fee of around £ 4-5 million.

De Vrij is not short of admirers with plenty of big English clubs eyeing up his signature; Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United are all in the hunt.  So Newcastle will have to put out all the stops to get him to Tyneside.

It does look as though the Magpies have already made a move for the lad, with chief scout reported to have watched the weekend clash between Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven. Given the caliber and the competition the club reportedly faces it would be quite a coup for the club if a deal can be thrashed out.

I am thoroughly excited by the prospect of De Vrij joining Newcastle and believe this is exactly the caliber of player that we need at the cub to progress and prosper.