Newcastle United and Everton are both expected to be busy in the transfer market this summer.
Everton’s Idrissa Gueye and James McCarthy
The Magpies are reportedly keen on signing Toffees midfielder James McCarthy this summer, but they will not have things all their own way in the race for his signature, with Burnley, Aston Villa and West Brom all in the hunt, according to the Mirror.
There is a way that Newcastle could steal a march on their rivals, however – by offering Aleksandar Mitrovic to Everton as part of the deal.
The 22-year-old Serb has failed to live up to his reputation since moving to St James’ Park from Anderlecht in the summer of 2015, for a fee believed to be in the region of £14.5 million.
He has shown glimpses of his potential though, and with the Blues’ need for a striker becoming more urgent with Romelu Lukaku highly likely to leave Goodison Park, Ronald Koeman might just be tempted to take a risk on Mitrovic.
He would offer the Toffees a certain type of physicality through the middle that will need replacing, if the Belgium international leaves of course, and the Magpies man could be ideal for the job.
It could all come down to how strong Benitez’ desire is to bring McCarthy to St James’ Park, and if he would actually consider sending Mitrovic in the opposite direction.
Newcastle United’s Aleksandar Mitrovic
The Daily Mail claimed earlier this summer that Everton value the Republic of Ireland international at £20 million, but with Turkish media outlet Fanatik claiming that Newcastle have slapped a £15.7 million price-tag on the Serbian, surely some kind of swap deal could be arranged.
With McCarthy’s less-than-impressive injury record, and Mitrovic failing to hit the heights expected of him since his move to England, a swap deal would represent obvious risks for both sides.
By offloading unwanted players, however, and therefore minimising cost, it could be the ideal outcome for all parties concerned.
Everton’s James McCarthy in action
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