Rafa Benitez could finally sign the prolific striker he so dearly desires with Red Star Belgrade’s Richmond Boakye.
As Rafa Benitez knows all too well, signing a prolific goalscorer when there’s a real lack of funds at your disposal is easier said than done.
With owner Mike Ashley refusing to pay top dollar over the summer, Newcastle United were left with a less than fearsome strikeforce of Dwight Gayle, Joselu and Aleksandar Mitrovic. And it’s little surprise that the trio have struggled to hit the net regularly this season, although Gayle and Joselu did score in the 3-2 home defeat to Leicester City on Saturday.
But perhaps The Magpies have found the shining gem that could come to their aid. ESPN claims that Newcastle are the latest club to have expressed an interest in Red Star Belgrade centre-forward Richmond Boakye.
And while there’s a huge gap between the Premier League and the Serbian top flight, Boakye’s scoring record cannot be ignored. He has almost as many goals this season as the entire Newcastle team, netting 14 in 13 league appearances.
Overall, Boakye has accounted for 45 goals for Red Star and Ghana since the start of 2017. It’s a record comparable with some of the most prolific centre-forwards in all of Europe.
And another upside is that the 24-year-old is unlikely to cost a bomb. GhanaSoccerNet claimed that Boakye would cost around £10 million when links with the Premier League first emerged two months ago.
Though that price-tag might have swelled with interest on the rise, Boakye should still be within Newcastle’s budget – particularly if there is no owners at the helm by the New Year.
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