Newcastle United have been knocked back in their bid to sign Thiago Maia but Rafa Benitez should cut his losses and try for West Ham United star instead.
Newcastle boss Benitez will be demanding backing from owner Mike Ashley this summer if he is to push the club on after keeping the Magpies up last season.
The on-off takeover saga and Ashley’s public declaration that he wanted to sell the club provided a difficult backdrop for Benitez and his players last term.
The Spaniard knows he must spend to strengthen the Newcastle squad and has been linked with a number of players this summer including the likes Bas Dost, as reported by Chronicle Live, and Thiago Maia.
Benitez received a blow this week, though, after a source described in France as ‘hyper-reliable’ claimed the Magpies have had a bid rejected for Maia by his club Lille.
In a brief story, La Voix du Nord said Newcastle have had an opening bid for Maia turned down and suggests Lille want to make a healthy profit on the 21-year-old who was purchased just last summer for £11m.
But Benitez should instead focus his attentions on bringing West Ham midfielder Edimilson Fernandes to Newcastle.
A similar player to Maia, the young Swiss narrowly missed out on his country’s World Cup squad and is a firm favourite among Hammers fans.
But he faces an uncertain future with a lack of game time already an issue before the arrival of new boss Manuel Pellegrini who plans to bring in as many as seven new signings.
Newcastle might be able to pick up Fernandes for around £10-12 million after being signed in 2016 for £5.5million by the Hammers.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
