Report: Newcastle want Dennis Praet but Benitez knows Juventus are favourites

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If Newcastle United want to finally lure Sampdoria’s Dennis Praet to the Premier League, they will have to compete with Serie A giants Juventus.

Towards the back end of the summer transfer window, Dennis Praet was linked with a move to Newcastle United almost every day.

The one-time Belgian wonderkid had shown signs of finally living up to his billing at Sampdoria in Serie A and therefore found himself on the radar of a number of sides across Europe, most notably Newcastle, who the Sun stated had even made a club record bid of £17.5 million.

A few months later, however, the Chronicle claimed that Benitez’s hopes of bringing Praet to St James’ Park were scuppered by the club’s owner, Mike Ashley.

It is understood that Benitez was keen to sign Praet in January after missing out in August, but the limited budget given to him by Ashley made that impossible.

Now, with the summer transfer window on the horizon, the Chronicle suggests that Newcastle’s Spanish manager has not given up hope of signing Praet. But he knows that Juventus, the Serie A leaders who have far more financial power and can put Champions League football on the table, are leading the race for one of Italian football’s most exciting prospects.

It is understood that Praet has a £23 million release clause in his contact – relative pocket change for Juve but a fee that would far exceed the £17 million Newcastle spent on record signing Michael Owen in 2005.

It is understood that Ashley will reward Benitez for an excellent season with a bigger transfer budget. But whether that is enough to fund a move for Praet remains to be seen.