Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez has been tracking Ruben Loftus-Cheek for months but he’s lost out to Frank de Boer’s Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace appear to have won the race to land Chelsea starlet Ruben Loftus-Cheek. According to The Guardian, the talented midfielder will become the first signing of the Frank de Boer era at Selhurst Park, joining from Palace’s London rivals on a season-long loan deal.
Loftus-Cheek is widely considered to be one of the most exciting young players in English football but failed to start a single Premier League game as Chelsea sauntered to the title last season. Consequently, Antonio Conte has allowed the 21-year-old to join fellow Blues starlets Tammy Abraham, Kasey Palmer and Ola Aina in furthering his development elsewhere.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was largely resticted to cup outings last season
And his impending arrival represents something of a coup for Crystal Palace, especially when you consider the degree of competition for his signature.
The Guardian claims that south coast duo Brighton and Southampton were keen, while The Chronicle reported recently that Sunderland were plotting an ambitious bid.
The report also confirms Newcastle United’s interest in a player who has scored seven goals in 17 games for England’s Under-21s but missed this summer’s European Championships in Poland through injury.
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez
And this continues a frustrating summer for Newcastle, one that has raised doubts over the future of manager Rafael Benitez. So far, only Eibar defender Florian Lejeune and Chelsea winger Christian Atsu, who spent last season on loan at the club, have signed on at St James’ Park permanently.
Newcastle were linked with Loftus-Cheek as far back as January, per The Sun, so the sight of him slipping through their grasp won’t help the reported tensions behind the scenes.
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