Newcastle United are on the verge of landing a second bargain signing of the summer.
Newcastle United may not be splashing the cash like Liverpool or Manchester City – or even Brighton and Hove Albion or West Ham United – this summer, but Rafael Benitez is landing impressive bargains.
The Magpies achieved a top ten finish in the Premier League last season, and whilst some were hoping that Benitez would be backed with major transfer funds, that unsurprisingly hasn’t materialised.
Benitez has been restricted to bringing back last season’s loanees Martin Dubravka and Kenedy, with the former arriving permanently, but two deals do look to be impressive bargains for Newcastle.
Earlier this summer, Newcastle swooped to land Ki Sung-yueng on a free transfer after he allowed his Swansea City contract expired, and the South Korean international represents great value for the Magpies.
Ki, 29, is a proven Premier League midfielder having racked up more than 150 appearances in the top flight, and he excelled alongside current Magpies midfielder Jonjo Shelvey in the heart of the Swansea midfield during their time together in South Wales.
Newcastle wouldn’t find many better midfielders for free than Ki, and the same goes for the £3.5million fee (The Mirror) Benitez has paid to sign Deportivo La Coruna defender Fabian Schar, activating his release clause.
The Swiss international looks to be another smart bargain for Benitez, as he’s of a good age at 26, has international and European experience having played in the Champions League for FC Basel, and even offers an impressive goal threat for a defender.
Both Ki and Schar featured at the World Cup this summer, and for just £3.5million combined, Benitez looks to have worked wonders – and is showing that Newcastle can still strike impressive deals even with their financial limitations.
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