Newcastle United and West Ham United may see Salomon Rondon head to China.
According to Sky Sports, Rafael Benitez now wants to take his recent Newcastle United loanee Salomon Rondon to Dalian Yifang in China.
Rondon, 29, hit 11 goals and seven assists last season, starring on loan at Newcastle having been lured from West Bromwich Albion by Rafael Benitez.
The Venezuelan hitman has returned to West Bromwich Albion, with a release clause of around £16million in his contract meaning that he’s likely to move on.
Newcastle fans would have loved to see Benitez and Rondon at St James’ Park together next season, but there’s a chance they’ll instead end up in China together – and that will leave Magpies fans truly gutted.
It’s not just Newcastle who may be hurt though, and you could certainly argue that it actually hurts West Ham United even more, given their hopes of signing Rondon.
The Daily Star recently noted that West Ham have offered £10million plus Sam Byram and Jordan Hugill for Rondon, with Manuel Pellegrini keen to reunite with his former Malaga striker.
That bid was rejected, and rather than just paying the release clause, they tried to get around it with a different offer, which may now cost them Rondon as Benitez prepares to strike.
Yes, West Ham may bring in a big-name striker like Maxi Gomez, but with Marko Arnautovic, Lucas Perez and Andy Carroll gone, a striker with some Premier League experience without breaking the bank would have been ideal.
Rondon ticked all the boxes, especially having played under Pellegrini in the past, but he may well head to China instead – hurting both Newcastle and West Ham in the process.
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