Newcastle United were reportedly in talks with Lovro Majer back in January, and it appears that he will have a Premier League offer this summer.
While Newcastle registered a top-half finish in their first season back in the Premier League, it would still be a major surprise if Rafa Benitez was able to splash significant amounts of cash in the summer given the budgets he seems to have been working with during the last few windows at St James’ Park.
There may be some very exciting additions, but the Magpies fans will certainly be expecting Benitez to show his shrewd side during the transfer window in an attempt to uncover some real gems for a bargain price.
The recent deals for the likes of Martin Dubravka and Mikel Merino have proved to be masterstrokes that have hardly hurt the club’s budget, and Benitez should not be afraid to use that strategy once again this summer.
Perhaps the player that should be on his radar due to his seemingly low asking price is Lovro Majer, who Calciomercato reported earlier this year was actually in talks with Newcastle.
Majer is arguably one of Europe’s brightest prospects right now. The 20-year-old tops NK Lokomotiva’s goalscoring charts, having scored 11 goals from midfield this past season, finishing the campaign with three goals in his final seven appearances. It is little wonder that Benitez had an eye on bringing him to St James’ Park in the winter.
Calciomercato’s report suggested that the discussions with the Magpies in the January transfer window centred around a deal that would have possibly cost as much £16 million.
Of course, the deal did not happen and it would have been a major gamble had it taken place. But given that Manchester City are now preparing a bid for half the amount that was discussed in January, Newcastle would be foolish not to rival Pep Guardiola’s men for his signature during the coming months.
The Sun reports that the Cityzens are prepared to pay £8 million for the youngster that Guardiola sees as a potential replacement for Yaya Toure. And Newcastle must not allow City to win the race without making another move of their own.
City may be the more tempting option right now, but Newcastle present the much clearer path to the first-team and Benitez should use that point to try and give the Magpies an edge in negotiations.
Majer’s potential appears to be huge – Guardiola looking at him as a potential Toure replacement highlights that – and the opportunity to possibly land him for just £8 million is one that Benitez must not pass up during the summer.
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