Newcastle could be about to offload a number of SJP midfielders.
Rafa Benitez could be set to orchestrate a Newcastle fire-sale of central midfielders with various reports suggesting three of his first-team stars could leave St. James’ Park this month.
Jonjo Shelvey is reportedly interested West Ham according to the Mirror, while another report from the Mirror has claimed Jack Colback could rejoin Sunderland and Henri Saivet is allowed to leave for £5million.
That would leave Benitez with just Isaac Hayden, Mikel Merino and Mo Diame, and the latter has hardly done much to impress Tyneside supporters this season.
It should see Benitez draw up a shortlist of central midfielders the Toon can target if they are forced to offload all three, with the ability to find the back of the net from deep a quality missing from all of the Magpies’ current midfielders.
Benitez’s attention must surely turn to Watford ace Etienne Capoue, then, with the Daily Mail claiming he is looking to leave Vicarage Road. However, West Ham are already said to be interested in the £12million-rated star.
Sky Italy journalist Gianluca Di Marzio also claimed on his website that Italian giants Fiorentina and La Liga side Leganes are also tracking the former Tottenham Hotspur star’s position.
And that is likely to be somewhere else than Hertfordshire before the end of January, as the Frenchman has been afforded just 10 Premier League appearances this season – starting only five of those.
But even in that time, he has managed to score against Bournemouth as well as notching against Bristol City in the EFL Cup. His goalscoring form from deep is no surprise, with seven Premier League goals last season.
At £12million, Benitez will have to sell first before landing the seven-time France international. But that added attacking dimension will give the Toon a different, yet crucial tool in their fight against Premier League relegation.
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