Newcastle United reportedly wanted to sign Nikola Vlasic from Premier League rivals Everton.
So Nikola Vlasic will not be joining Newcastle United after all.
11 months ago, The Mail claimed that The Magpies were hoping to sign the Croatian midfielder after he failed to make an impression since joining Everton in the summer of 2017.
And once Vlasic returned to Goodison Park this summer following a fine loan spell at CSKA Moscow, Newcastle made it clear that they were still keen to bring Vlasic to St James’ Park. At least, that was according to The Sun.
A dynamic and versatile midfielder, Vlasic shone at CSKA last season with eight goals and seven assists. He even inspired a stunning Champions League double against Real Madrid, scoring the winner in Moscow before starring in a historic 3-0 win at the Bernebau.
It is easy to see why Rafa Benitez would want to sign the 21-year-old, even if Everton didn’t think that he could make the grade in English football.
But Newcastle’s loss is CSKA’s gain.
Instead of swapping Merseyside for the North East, Vlasic has joined CSKA on a permanent basis. The Liverpool Echo reports that the Russian giants have sealed a £14 million deal, landing the former Hajduk Split starlet on a five-year deal.
And if Vlasic builds on his brilliant first season in Russia, Newcastle fans could be left to rue their failure to conclude a deal which had been one year in the planning.
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