Newcastle United could make a bid for Portugal international Rafa Silva this week but, according to CM Jornal, Benfica won’t let the winger head to the Premier League for a penny less than £22 million.
At 28, a player labelled ‘the Portuguese Eden Hazard’ during his younger days is hardly a typical Mike Ashley signing.
He’s not exactly young or, for that matter, brimming with resale potential.
But, as Newcastle’s Slazenger-shifting owner showed when splashing out on Callum Wilson last summer, he is – on the odd occasion – willing to invest a big fee in a player capable of strolling into Steve Bruce’s starting XI and making an immediate impact.
And Rafa Silva is exactly that.
Could Rafa Silva be the missing piece for Newcastle?
The little winger was perhaps the brightest spark in an underperforming Benfica team in 2020/21 and, in his past three seasons, has scored a highly impressive 42 goals.
No-one in Bruce’s squad – not even Wilson himself – can match that sort of tally.
And before you point out the Portuguese top flight can’t hold a candle to the strength and competitiveness of the Premier League, Ruben Dias and Bruno Fernandes haven’t done too badly since swapping Iberia for England.
Newcastle have been watching Rafa Silva since 2019 – his agent confirmed at the time the Magpies had expressed an interest – but have yet to make an offer for the one-time Braga talisman.
That could soon change, however.
CM Jornal believes a bid will be made before the end of the week, although the Toon will need to offer in excess of £22 million if Newcastle are serious about twisting Benfica’s arm.
Rafa Silva was part of the Portugal side victorious at the European Championships in 2016 and showcased his match-winning potential with a magnificent cameo appearance in the 3-0 Euro 2020 group-stage victory over Hungary.
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