Newcastle United and Everton should be interested in soon-to-be free agent Milan Badelj.
According to The Mirror, Fiorentina are preparing for life after Milan Badelj by including West Ham United’s Pedro Obiang in a shortlist of names to replace the 29-year-old this summer.
It looks like Badelj will leave the Italian side for free in June, and Everton and Newcastle United should be among those considering the Croatia international.
Everton and the Magpies will be in the market for a host of players this summer after underwhelming Premier League seasons, albeit for different reasons
But central midfield is among the positions that they need to bolster and Badelj would be a fantastic coup for either the Toffees or Newcastle.
Sam Allardyce has Idrissa Gueye at his disposal, but it seems very unlikely that Morgan Schneiderlin will still be an Everton player beyond the summer, whereas Davy Klaassen’s future on Merseyside looks even bleaker by virtue of the fact that the Dutchman hasn’t played a Premier League game for them since September.
Newcastle, on the other hand, do have plenty of decent options in midfield, but Rafael Benitez can’t settle for ‘decent’. The Spanish manager, whose side sit two points above the relegation zone, needs quality and if United stay in the top flight this season then a steely figure like Badelj could go a long way to helping them improve next term.
Plus, it’s entirely possible that Benitez will have more money problems in the summer transfer window, so he isn’t in a position to turn up his nose at a bargain like Badelj, who has 32 caps for his country.
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