Fulham might have gone cold on Newcastle United’s Aleksandar Mitrovic, which has negative implications for Rafael Benitez.
Quite a lot of Newcastle United’s budget hinges on the sale of Aleksandar Mitrovic to Fulham for £20 million.
But with that move now reportedly in jeopardy, it could have a very negative knock-on effect for Newcastle.
According to The Daily Mail, Fulham have lodged a £26 million bid for Willian Jose.
If they’re successful, the Cottagers will clearly not be giving the Magpies their £20 million for Mitrovic.
The report from The Mail adds that Slavisa Jokanovic wanted his fellow Serbian in West London after he played such a big role in helping Fulham to Premier League promotion during his loan from Newcastle last season.
However, a permanent deal is yet to be thrashed out and this isn’t great for the Magpies.
Benitez has said on more than one occasion this summer that his budget depends on outgoings, meaning that he has to sell to buy.
But if they can’t sell Mitrovic for £20 million then that clearly affects the Spaniard’s spending power, and it now gives the Serbian’s other suitors the opportunity to offer a lot less for Mitrovic in the knowledge that the St James’s Park club need to sell to fund arrivals.
It’s a dreadful situation for Benitez to find himself in and maybe, just maybe, Newcastle should try re-open a dialogue with Fulham about Mitrovic and be more flexible.
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