Newcastle United are close to reportedly signing Lazio defender Jordan Lukaku before the January transfer window closes.
Sky Sports pundit Ryan Mason has claimed that Jordan Lukaku’s potential arrival to Newcastle is not the signing the fans or Rafa Benitez want.
The former Tottenham midfielder stated that the club’s supporters want a ‘marquee’ signing instead and their manager would have wanted a ‘bigger name’ and ‘another three or four more players’.
Sky Sports are reporting that the Magpies have agreed to loan Lazio left-back Jordan Lukaku until the end of the season and he will be Benitez’s first signing of the January window.
When Mason was asked about Newcastle edging closer to signing Lukaku from Italy, he stated that Benitez deserves better than what is being offered to him.
“I don’t think it is the marquee signing that the fans want,” Mason told the Debate show on Sky Sports on 24/01/2019. “I’m sure Rafa Benitez would have wanted a bigger name and another three or four players.
“He’s not been backed. What an incredible job he has done for the football club – Benitez is too good a manager to not give him money.”
Defender Lukaku, who is the brother of Manchester United striker Romelu, missed the start of the Serie A season because of a knee injury and has since been used in a sporadic fashion.
Over the course of the campaign, he has played eight games in all competitions for Simone Inzaghi’s side, securing one assist in the process.
During his time at Lazio, the Belgium international has played a total of 72 games on the left-hand side of the defence, supplying six assists and scoring one goal.
If the deal for Lukaku does go through then he will join a team that is fighting to stay in the Premier League and will be hoping to still be in the FA Cup after the weekend fixtures are over.
Newcastle, who needed a replay to knockout Championship side Blackburn Rovers in the last round, will host fellow Premier League side Watford at the weekend.
In the Premier League, they beat fellow strugglers Cardiff City 3-0 [BBC SPORT] last time out to move one place and two points above the drop zone.
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