Jordan Veretout has dropped Mario Giuffredi as his agent and appointed Kevin Benhaim to secure the Roma star a new club, amid reported transfer interest from Newcastle United.
That’s according to TuttoMercatoWEB, who report Benhaim has filed Veretout’s mandate with the French Football Federation. He will now begin searching for a club interested in a deal, with the midfielder no longer a part of the Giallorossi’s future under Jose Mourinho.
It is considered a certainty that Mourinho will axe Veretout in the off-season to strengthen his summer budget. But there are currently no concrete offers on the table for the Serie A side to consider. So, Roma hope Benhaim can now find sufficient interest in his new client.
Benhaim is the CEO of the Inspire Sport Consulting group, which has no other high-profile stars in their clientele. But Veretout has chosen him to replace Giuffredi, after dropping his long-term agent in February, despite talking to Roma over a new contract, per RomaPress.
Veretout’s existing terms expire in 2024, but he was keen to secure a pay rise. Yet the 29-year-old rejected the Giallorossi’s €4.5m-a-year (£73k-a/w) offer last year, Calciomercato note. Now, Roma are looking for a sale in the region of €15-18m (£12.5-15m) this summer.
Roma ace Jordan Veretout swaps agent with Newcastle target now seeking new club
Newcastle have shown an interest in signing Veretout from Roma in the summer transfer window, per Calciomercato. The Toon are one of the final three clubs likely to pursue him with Napoli and Marseille. But Giuffredi poured cold on him moving to Naples last month.
“Napoli don’t sign players like that,” he told Radio Marte. “The idea is to go for young people, given the historical moment that we are living from a financial point of view.”
Veretout does accept a future in Rome is unlikely, though, after Mourinho changed system with tactics that restrict his influence. Foot Mercato note the Portuguese’s move to a more defensive set-up forced the Frenchman onto the bench as he cannot influence the attacks.
Add in the change in agent, Veretout’s future is increasingly set to be away from Roma, if Benhaim is now able to locate interest in a transfer for the Newcastle target this summer.
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