Newcastle United are reportedly chasing a deal for Sebastien Haller.
It’s no great secret that Newcastle United need a goalscorer in 2019 – and Rafael Benitez has reportedly identified his top target to fill that role.
Newcastle’s 0-0 draw at Southampton on Saturday afternoon means that they have drawn a blank in front of goal in four of their last five games, and only Huddersfield Town have scored fewer goals than the Magpies this season.
Salomon Rondon is yet to find the net since his summer move from West Brom, whilst Yoshinori Muto has only scored once, with Joselu far from a regular goalscorer either.
Now, The Northern Echo report that Benitez has found a striker he wants, and has made Eintracht Frankfurt hitman Sebastien Haller his top January transfer target.
Haller, 24, impressed in the Netherlands with FC Utrecht before heading to Frankfurt in 2017, and he hit nine goals and four assists in his debut Bundesliga season.
The Frenchman, formerly of Auxerre, has now started the season in stunning fashion, notching seven goals and seven assists in 12 Bundesliga or Europa League appearances.
Haller is big, physical, has a turn of pace and is strong in the air, making him perfect to play the lone striker role in Benitez’s usual 4-2-3-1 system – and in truth, a move for Haller would be a huge statement of intent.
Signing Haller won’t be cheap, and any move would surely shatter Newcastle’s £16million transfer record, finally giving Benitez the goalscoring target man he has been looking for, whilst showing the rest of the Premier League that the Magpies won’t be going down without a fight.
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