Premier League side Newcastle United were linked with Porto’s Primeira Liga champion Yacine Brahimi back in May.
There are a number of positions that Rafa Benitez would love to strengthen in the New Year. Unfortunately for the Newcastle United manager, however, funds are set to be tight again with Mike Ashley still keeping the purse strings tightly drawn.
So claims from Portugal that Yacine Brahimi is unlikely to sign a new contract with FC Porto represents perhaps Newcastle’s best chance to bring a genuinely top class attacking player to St James’ Park in the current climate.
A Bola reported in May that Newcastle were one of a number of Premier League sides keen on the Algeria international, whose nine goals and seven assists inspired Porto to their first league title in five years last season.
And the same report has claimed last week that Brahimi’s contract talks have stalled, meaning Porto will have to sell for a cut-price fee in January or risk losing him on a free next summer.
So Newcastle might never get a better chance to bring in a creative and versatile attacker capable of giving Benitez the cutting edge his toothless attack is badly lacking right now.
The Magpies are second from bottom in the Premier League, having scored six goals in eight games so far. Brahimi, however, is the kind of individual talent who could galvanise this team.
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