Rafa Benitez is clearly a fan of Gala’s Rodrigues and wants to bring him to Newcastle.
Turkish outlet Gunes have claimed that Newcastle United saw a £7million bid rejected for Galatasaray attacker Garry Rodrigues turned down in the January transfer window, in what was the Toon’s second bid of the winger.
The 27-year-old was the subject of a £6million bid last August from the Toon, but that was also blocked by the Turkish giants as they remained defiant over the future of the 23-time Cape Verde international.
Rodrigues moved to Galatasaray in January 2017 from Greek side PAOK and has since starred for Fatih Terim’s side, proving to be worth a lot more than his £3million transfer fee.
This season, the fleet-footed ace has had a hand in an impressive 11 goals during 25 league and cup appearances. Scoring four times, he has also laid on seven assists during the 2017-18 campaign.
Known for his blistering speed and excellent dribbling abilities, Rafa Benitez must remain undeterred in his pursuit of the former Elche winger and make a third offer for him this summer.
It remains to be seen if owner Mike Ashley will give his manager any kind of spending power in July and August, but if he does he must look to spend a significant chunk of that on Rodrigues.
He offers more attacking bite and tenacity to the likes of Christian Atsu, Jacob Murphy and Matt Ritchie, who have managed just four Premier League goals between them from the flanks.
Although Rodrigues has a contract until the summer of 2021, a third bid needs to be made by Benitez if the Toon remain in the top flight.
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