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Newcastle linked Enzo Perez set to clinch River Plate move, rejected two Premier League offers

Enzo Perez (Reuters)
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Enzo Perez will sign with River Plate and not Newcastle.

Argentine midfielder Enzo Perez has agreed a deal to leave Valencia to sign with River Plate, report Spanish newspaper AS.

Marca had reported earlier this week that Newcastle United were prepared to pay £8.5 million to sign the midfielder.

Enzo PerezEnzo Perez in action against Barcelona

He is set to move to River Plate for even less, with Valencia happy to get a high earner off their books who failed to live up to his price tag after a £19.5 million move from Benfica in 2014.

Perez, 31, is happy to be heading back to his homeland and told AS he rejected two offers from England as he prepares to clinch his move. It will cost River 3 million Euros (£2.2m).

He said: “My priority was always to play at River, I rejected two Premier League offers, I’m going to a big club, I’m going to River, I’m a fan of the team and I always dreamed of playing for River.”

Enzo PerezEnzo Perez

If Perez’s heart was not in a move to England, then Newcastle are better off looking elsewhere, but this continues to add up to a frustrating transfer window for Rafa Benitez.

Despite reports of having big money to spend after clinching promotion back to the Premier League, Newcastle are yet to make any signings, to the growing frustration of all involved.