West Ham United must be in the race for Salomon Rondon this summer.
Newcastle United have seen loanee Salomon Rondon star in recent weeks – but the club may still miss out on signing him permanently this summer.
The Magpies snapped up Rondon on loan from West Bromwich Albion last summer, and he has now hit four goals and three assists in his last 10 games.
Rondon is one of the Premier League’s most in-form strikers, and has taken his tally for the season to nine goals and five assists in Newcastle’s famous black and white.
Rondon is only on loan though, and The Mirror note that Newcastle owner Mike Ashley wants to bring in a strict transfer policy of signing young players with resale value – meaning Rondon may not be signed permanently despite his form.
That could throw Rafael Benitez’s future into doubt and leave Newcastle supporters to watch a fan favourite leave the club – potentially to a Premier League rival after The Chronicle reporting that a top-flight club attempted to sign him in January.
One team who should be ready to pounce on any Newcastle dallying is West Ham United, especially as boss Manuel Pellegrini worked with the Venezuelan at Malaga and wanted to sign him last summer according to the London Evening Standard.
West Ham fans probably want a bigger name, but Rondon can be a smart signing. He’s a harder worker than Marko Arnautovic, more well-rounded than Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll whilst simply better than Lucas Perez.
Having that focal point in attack to open up spaces for Felipe Anderson and Manuel Lanzini could make West Ham very dangerous, and whilst other strikers may be targeted and signed, the Hammers must be looking to swoop for Rondon if Newcastle show any indication that they won’t sign him permanently.
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