Newcastle United need to strengthen their forward options during the off-season.
Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez
The Magpies enjoyed a successful campaign in the Championship this season, which eventually culminated in promotion back to the Premier League.
Rafa Benitez will be under no illusions with regards to the size of the task ahead of him, however, and the hard work really will begin now for the Spaniard.
Newcastle must sufficiently strengthen their squad over the course of the summer, if they are to avoid dropping straight back down to the second tier of English football.
Quite how much money will be available to Benitez is not yet clear, but he will surely be drawing up a list of targets before the transfer window opens.
With this in mind, an interesting option for the Toon could be soon-to-be free agent Mario Balotelli. The Nice striker has actually impressed in Ligue 1 this term, scoring 15 goals in 23 league outings, but has somewhat surprisingly not been offered a new deal by the French club.
Although the Italian has a bad reputation as a trouble-maker within the game, the chance to sign him on a free should be seen as a fantastic opportunity for Newcastle to obtain a world-class striker for minimal cost.
Mario Balotelli in action for Nice
The Tyneside outfit were over reliant on Dwight Gayle this season, and Benitez needs to bolster his striking options as a matter of urgency.
Aleksandar Mitrovic’s future remains unclear, after the Serbian played a peripheral role in Newcastle’s campaign, and by allowing him to leave, they would free up salary space for the 26-year-old former Liverpool star, who would undoubtedly demand quite a substantial wage packet.
The Italian seems to have reached an age where he has finally matured, and accepted the fact that he has a wonderful talent that was on the verge of being criminally wasted.
He has all the attributes required to be a success in the Premier League, and could form a formidable partnership with Gayle. The pair’s playing styles would compliment each other perfectly, and Benitez should not hesitate in making a move for the mercurial hitman.
Balotelli in action
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