Newcastle United have held talks over a deal for Hirving Lozano but former Magpies boss Rafa Benitez has admitted that he could bring the Napoli outcast to China instead, speaking to Corriere dello Sport.
Southern Italy was a sea of blue on Wednesday night, as one of the most passionate fanbases in world football celebrated the end of their six-year trophy drought.
But while Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne and co were basking in the glory of a dramatic Coppa Italia victory over Maurizio Sarri’s Juventus, Napoli’s £37 million record signing was forced to watch on from the sidelines.
Lozano has endured a miserable debut season in Serie A, starting only eight games.
And he hit rock bottom a day before Napoli toppled the Old Lady, thrown out of training by head coach Gennaro Gattuso with a perceived lack of effort infuriating one of the most combustible characters in the game (ESPN).
As a result, it seems only a matter of time before Lozano is packing his bags with Newcastle emerging as a potential destination for a man who inspired PSV to successive Eredivisie titles.
But The Magpies might have to fight off competition from a modern-day club legend if they want to secure the signature of an explosive, goalscoring wideman.
“We spoke in January and an exchange between Lozano and (Yannick Ferreira) Carrasco could be done (this summer),” Dalian Yifang coach Benitez says, as translated by Football Italia.
AreaNapoli reported last month that Newcastle had reached out to Lozano’s agent, the motor-mouth Mino Raiola, to enquire about whether a potential move to St James’ Park is possible.
A forward who destroyed Germany in the 2018 World Cup is exactly the sort of maverick attacker Newcastle fans love, a la Laurent Robert or Hatem Ben Arfa.
And the famously free-wheeling Premier League looks like the perfect environment for Lozano to show off his rapid pace and lethal finishing.
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