Report: Benitez signing is torn about leaving Newcastle this summer

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Matt Ritchie is in two minds about whether he wants to leave Newcastle United and return to Bournemouth this summer, according to the Chronicle.

In an ideal world, the Magpies would make Callum Wilson their new number nine and team him up with a former Bournemouth teammate in Steve Bruce’s attack.

But there is a very real risk that Newcastle will be blown out of the water by Aston Villa in the race for a much-coveted England international.

Villa have already had a £15 million offer rejected, but their billionaire owners boast the kind of funds that Mike Ashley has shown a great reluctance to spend in a decade of disappointment and disillusion on Tyneside (Mail).

So Newcastle have no choice but to get creative and think outside the box.

The Chronicle reports that, despite only signing a new contract until 2023 in May, the Magpies are keen to use Ritchie as a makeweight in a deal that would see Wilson go in the other direction.

The 30-year-old Scot enjoyed perhaps the best season of his career under Eddie Howe at Bournemouth, firing the Cherries to promotion in 2015 with 15 goals and 17 assists in the Championship.

But, with Ritchie in the prime of his career and loving life on Tyneside, he is understandably ‘torn’ about whether he wants to swap Premier League football for a return to the second-tier.