Newcastle United continue to be linked with a move to sign Benfica midfielder Andreas Samaris.
According to The Mirror, Benfica midfielder Andreas Samaris is keen on a move to the Premier League, but isn’t willing to wait indefinitely for Newcastle to fund a deal.
Samaris, 28, made his name in his native Greece with Panachaiki, Panionios and Olympiacos, before earning a 2014 move to Portuguese giants Benfica.
The Greek international, who has 28 caps for his country, has now made over 100 appearances for Benfica whilst winning three successive league titles, but his time at the Estadio da Luz could be coming to an end.
The Mirror report that Samaris is keen on a move to the Premier League this summer, but he won’t wait indefinitely for Newcastle United to figure out how to finance a deal.
It’s believed that Newcastle are interested in signing Samaris, but with manager Rafael Benitez working under a tight budget, he must sell before he can launch a big-money move for the Benfica ace.
The Magpies added a midfielder last week as Mikel Merino arrived on loan from Borussia Dortmund, but Benitez may still look to add another midfield option to compete with Jonjo Shelvey, Jack Colback and Isaac Hayden.
However, Benitez has now been asked about the situation surrounding a move for Samaris, telling The Chronicle that he is just one of a number of players on the radar, but no concrete move is happening.
“No, it’s one of the names that has been there for a while, but nothing at the minute,” said Benitez when asked about Samaris.
It’s therefore unclear just how aggressively Newcastle are pursuing Samaris’ signature, but his desire to move to the Premier League could just alert rivals to a possible deal this summer.
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