Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez has commented on James McCarthy.
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has told the Irish Examiner that Everton midfielder James McCarthy is a good player, but isn’t a top target for the Magpies.
The Magpies have tied up three signings this summer, as Christian Atsu, Florian Lejeune and Jacob Murphy have penned deals with the club, whilst The Mirror report that a move for right back Javier Manquillo is close to completion.
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez
However, after winning promotion to the Premier League, Newcastle still need more additions to their squad, with central midfield an area that may need some re-tooling.
Benitez does have Jonjo Shelvey, Jack Colback and Isaac Hayden among his options in the middle of the park, but adding another proven Premier League midfielder would be ideal.
Reports from the Daily Mail suggested that Newcastle held an interest in signing Everton midfielder James McCarthy, but had been deterred by the asking price on his head – believed to be around £25million.
McCarthy, 26, struggled to nail down a regular starting spot under Ronald Koeman last season, and the signings of Davy Klaassen and even Wayne Rooney could push him further down the pecking order.
The Republic of Ireland international would be a major addition for Newcastle, but manager Benitez has now played down any talk of him arriving at St. James’ Park this summer.
Everton’s James McCarthy celebrates scoring
Benitez has told the Irish Examiner that he thinks McCarthy is a good player, but is not Newcastle’s ‘first target’ right now, with so many players being linked with moves to Tyneside of late.
“He (McCarthy) is a good player but we now have a lot of them at this club,” said Benitez. “We have been linked with around 100 players but he is not our first target at the moment,” he added.
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