According to The Mirror (16/08, p68), Everton and Newcastle United now face a battle with Benfica for Josh King.
It’s claimed that Everton and Newcastle have both shown a real interest in signing King, as they look to sign new strikers.
Bournemouth allegedly don’t want to sell King, but are reluctantly listening to offers because his contract is up in 2021.
Returning to the Premier League following Bournemouth’s relegation should be appealing to King, but he now has foreign interest.
The report states that Benfica have joined the race for King, with the idea of offering him a big move to Portugal.
Benfica have already landed Jan Vertonghen from Tottenham, but now want 28-year-old King to be their latest recruit from English football.
King hit 48 Premier League goals in 161 games for Bournemouth, and that kind of goalscoring record is bound to attract interest.
Everton do though have Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Moise Kean, meaning it would be a surprise to see them splash out for another striker this summer.
Newcastle are in greater need of a striker right now, but whether they can compete with Benfica is another matter having missed out on a big-money takeover.
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