Rafael Benitez knows Rafael Cabral well from his time at Napoli and a reunion at Newcastle United may be a possibility.
Newcastle United’s exasperating transfer window is perhaps summed up by their failure to add a new goalkeeper to their ranks.
Manager Rafael Benitez had hoped to have a new number one in place before the Premier League season kicked off but Rob Elliot started between the sticks in last week’s 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Meanwhile, Tim Krul and Karl Darlow (below), who are both up for sale this summer, remain on the club’s books with deals for countless shot-stoppers coming to nothing so far.
The report claims that The Magpies have made an approach for three-time Brazil international Rafael Cabral, a goalkeeper who arrived at the Stadio San Paolo from Santos in 2013 when Benitez was still at the helm.
Rafael spent his debut season at the club as the second-choice glovesman but featured far more regularly during 2014/15, Benitez’s final campaign at Napoli. He featured 23 times in Serie A but struggled to convince, making a number of high-profile errors.
Yet, with Rafael making just two appearances in the two years since Benitez departed the Italian South Coast, Tuttomercatoweb reports that Napoli are determined to sell this summer.
However, reports of an approach from Newcastle appears particularly uninspiring. It is clear that Rafael was not exactly high on the club’s wishlist and he appears to be little more than an affordable, convenient target.
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