Newcastle United fans react to rumour about signing Alassane Plea from Nice.
Newcastle United fans have offered a mixed reaction on Twitter to the latest transfer rumour regarding their club.
According to Calciomercato, Newcastle are interested in signing Nice striker Alassane Plea, who has 13 goals and four assists in 30 Ligue 1 outings this season.
The Magpies have a disappointing record in regards to recruiting from the French top flight in recent years and understandably some fans of the St James’s Park club have reservations.
Plea is valued at around £15.5 million according to CIES Football Observatory, and when £5 million Joselu was your most expensive striker last summer then it undoubtedly represents a big gamble by Rafael Benitez, if he is genuinely interested.
But United certainly need a new number nine. Benitez’s side are now 10 points clear of the relegation zone, but another stint in the Championship did seem on the cards for a while and the precarious nature of their season is linked to a lack of quality strikers.
Joselu and Dwight Gayle have only managed nine Premier League goals between them in a combined 55 games this season, while it remains to be seen whether on-loan hitman Islam Slimani can do enough to warrant a permanent move this summer.
Plea does not boast an outstanding record in France by any means and maybe, just maybe, Benitez should look a bit closer to home in his search for a striker for next season.
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