Newcastle United missed their chance to bring Lille’s Ligue 1 star to the Premier League and now La Liga champions Barcelona are apparently interested.
You can hardly blame Rafa Benitez for being frustrated with life at Newcastle United.
The Spaniard led The Magpies to a top half finish in their first season back in the Premier League last season. But he was ‘rewarded’ with just £20 million to spend in the summer transfer window, forced to rely on bargain signings, loans and free agents while clubs around them spend money and strengthen.
And Newcastle missing out on Nicolas Pepe a year ago is another disappointment that could hit the club’s fans hard.
According to The Northern Echo, the Tyneside outfit were hoping to wrap up a deal for the then Angers youngster in the summer of 2017. But were beaten to the punch by Lille, who wrapped up a £10 million deal despite Newcastle holding talks with his representatives.
And a year-and-a-half later, Benitez must have his head in his hands again. Pepe is now shining with Lille and has apparently emerged on Barcelona’s radar after scoring a hat-trick in the 3-2 Ligue 1 win away at Amiens on Sunday.
Mundo Deportivo report that the La Liga champions are very interested in the 23-year-old Ivory Coast attacker with Barca sporting director Eric Abidal, who has been praised for his recruitment at the Camp Nou, understood to be a big fan.
Just imagine if Pepe ends up starring alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at the Camp Nou. Newcastle’s inability to complete the £10 million deal would be another black mark against the club’s recruitment department.
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