Newcastle are keen on Rafa Benitez.
Manchester City’s Eliaquim Mangala
Newcastle United are keen on a deal for Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala, report The Mail.
Mangala has been on loan at Valencia this season, having failed to convince at City.
City spent £32 million to sign the Frenchman in 2014, hoping he could ease their defensive reliance on Vincent Kompany.
Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko in action with Manchester City’s Eliaquim Mangala
A deal for Mangala could be a good piece of business if he can get back to his best, and Benitez is a fan.
Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla reported in 2013 that Benitez was keen on bringing Mangala to Napoli to become one of the cornerstones of his defence.
Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, Eliaquim Mangala and Fernandinho during training
A deal did not prove possible with Porto demanding big money, and managed to hold onto the centre-back for another season.
Now they could hope to sign the 26-year-old at knock down fee, with his reputation damaged by his underwhelming Manchester City spell.
His difficulty in the Premier League should make Newcastle wary but Benitez has shown an ability to get the best out of players before, and linking up with the Spaniard could be just what Mangala needs to get his career back on track.
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