Middlesbrough have made a bid for Nottingham Forest striker Britt Assombalonga but should Newcastle look to steal a march on them?
According to the Daily Mail, Middlesbrough have lodged a bid for Nottingham Forest striker Britt Assombalonga.
New manager Garry Monk is said to view Assombalonga as the perfect man to lead the line at Boro and fire them back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Nottingham Forest’s Britt Assombalonga and Hull City’s Sam Clucas in action
While the report doesn’t specify how much the North East club offered for the 24-year-old, it does say that the forward is valued at around £10m.
Yet at that price should Newcastle United be seriously considering bringing Assombalonga to St James’ Park as they prepare for life back in the English top flight?
Magpies boss Rafa Benitez is understood to be in the market for at least one new striker this summer as the Spaniard looks to bolster the options in his squad.
And while Assombalonga has no Premier League experience to date, the way in which the Forest man has scored consistently at every level he has played at suggests he is at least worth a shot – especially for a relatively modest fee.
The former Peterborough United attacker (for whom he scored 33 goals in 58 games) has 30 strikes in 69 appearances (47 of which were starts) since arriving at the City Ground in 2014.
Perhaps the main thing that might concern Benitez – or any other potential suitors – is the array of injury problems Assombalonga has had since joining the Reds.
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez
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