Newcastle United should be looking at West Bromwich Albion striker Salomon Rondon.
West Bromwich Albion are set for relegation to the Championship given that they sit 10 points adrift of safety, and the Baggies must be prepared to lose key players.
Amid claims that Jonny Evans has a release clause in his deal upon relegation, the Daily Mail now claim that striker Salomon Rondon can also leave when relegated, should a club match the £16.5million exit clause in his contract.
Rondon, 28, hasn’t quite lived up to expectations since his 2015 move from Zenit St. Petersburg, but he has hit nine goals in all competitions this season, and has been in fine form of late with four goals and two assists in his last nine games.
The Venezuelan hitman may be earning himself a stay in the Premier League, and amid claims that West Ham are keen to activate that release clause, Newcastle United should be looking to swoop as well.
The Magpies have been searching for a regular centre forward under Rafael Benitez, and whilst the £16.5million fee would break their transfer record, Rondon may be what Benitez is looking for.
His January loan move for Islam Slimani showed that he is a fan of a physical centre forward with target man ability, and Rondon certainly fits that bill with brute force and strong aerial ability.
With an average of nine goals a season for West Brom since heading to The Hawthorns, Rondon isn’t overly prolific, but he can certainly lead the line for Newcastle and potentially thrive in a team where he is supplied by the likes of Matt Ritchie, Ayoze Perez, Jonjo Shelvey and potentially Kenedy.
A host of Premier League clubs will be keen on Rondon, and Newcastle should certainly be one of them as they pursue a new striker – but they would have to break their transfer record to do it, and it may take Mike Ashley to sell the club to make that happen.
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